The Mpumalanga ANC Women’s League’s (ANCWL) leadership battle has now left the conference floor and is headed to the courtroom—dragging the organisation’s provincial revival into its most controversial crossroads since the 2022 disbandment of the mother body.
What should have been a triumphant return of the women’s league ended in fury, walk-outs, and now litigation—as aggrieved members move to overturn the outcomes of the seventh provincial conference held at the weekend at Pienaarsdam Leisure Resort in Middelburg.
The group of members—who chose not to take part in the meeting—claims there was a lot of unfairness, including tampering with branch meetings, not explaining why audit files were rejected, leaving out eligible league members from getting accredited, and mishandling documents related to delegate lists.
Internal avenues exhausted
On Monday, the members instructed Sibuyi & Mculu Attorneys to launch urgent high court proceedings.
Their attorney, Phindile Mculu, confirmed in a statement that the matter has exhausted internal avenues.
“Members of the ANCWL Mpumalanga took to lodge a case at the Nelspruit South African Police Service concerning serious allegations related to the recent internal election processes,” said Mculu.
“The said members are not pleased with the alleged gross failures in adhering to proper procedure.
“To address these serious procedural deficiencies and ensure the integrity of the internal election process is upheld, the members confirm that they will be issuing a high court application to rectify this matter.”
The legal escalation follows Sunday World’s exclusive exposé last week, which revealed how senior regional leaders warned that manipulated branch general meetings and irregular accreditation processes risked derailing the conference before it even convened.
Formal disputes from regions
The disputed provincial conference sat on Saturday and Sunday, despite formal disputes from three regions, the non-participation of the provincial task team (PTT) convener Leah Mabuza and several senior ANCWL leaders, and a letter from ANC provincial secretary Muzi Chirwa to Luthuli House begging the national ANCWL leadership to intervene before voting took place.
“Internal attempts to resolve this matter have been unsuccessful and in vain. This legal action is deemed necessary to restore due process, demand full accountability, and obtain a just resolution for the members and the constituency she represents,” Mculu said.
At the heart of the turmoil is the PTT—the temporary structure appointed by the ANCWL national working committee after the league was dissolved countrywide three years ago.
Its mandate was to rebuild branches, clean up the membership system, and prepare the province for a credible elective conference.
Since the conference chose a permanent leadership this past weekend, the PTT automatically dissolves, leaving any unresolved issues from the previous sitting in a void unless the courts step in.
The members who feel wronged contend that permitting the conference to continue before disagreements were settled essentially contaminated the air.
They contend the results are invalid, insisting they flowed from a manipulated credential system that allegedly sidelined large sections of the league while unidentified delegates were reportedly bused in late from Bushbuckridge.
Elected unopposed
Those elected unopposed include chairperson Muhle Mashele, deputy chairperson Nomdeni Motha, secretary Jesta Sidell, deputy secretary Thandi Mokoena, and treasurer Selinah Mashego.
More importantly, it is an open secret that the provincial ANCWL race has become a proxy battlefield in Mpumalanga’s broader ANC succession fight.
In December, the ANC holds its provincial conference, where deputy provincial chairperson and cooperative governance, human settlements, and traditional affairs MEC Speedy Mashilo is expected to challenge his boss, Mandla Ndlovu, the incumbent provincial chairperson and premier.
If the Mbombela High Court nullifies the conference, it would force the ANCWL in the province back to a fresh membership and branch audit—delaying the league’s political influence ahead of the December showdown and potentially weakening Mashilo’s growing support against Ndlovu.
ANCWL president Sisisi Tolashe did not respond to Sunday World’s questions on the chaotic conference, especially following Chirwa’s letter begging for intervention.
