Aggrieved ANC Limpopo provincial executive committee (PEC) members are threatening to drag provincial secretary Reuben Madadzhe to court if he does not postpone the extended PEC meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
This is the newest twist to the ongoing war over widespread allegations of rigging and forgery of the list of candidates that will represent the ANC in government after next year’s general elections.
Sunday World has seen a letter from lawyers to Madadzhe imploring that he appoints independent auditors and shelve the extended PEC or face the difficulty of having to explain himself before a high court judge.
“It is our instruction that we bring it to your attention that the 2024 ANC candidate nominations in your province, which you were supposed to supervise, have been riddled with gross irregularities, manipulations, and, to some extent, fraud,” the lawyers wrote to Madadzhe.
“Our clients have it on good authority that the nomination process has been tampered with, and as such, our clients have instructed us to demand that you appoint a reputable independent forensic firm to audit all nomination lists from all the branches that have successfully held their nomination BGMs.
“We further demand that you defer your extended PEC meeting scheduled to take place on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, to a later date post-release of the report of the auditor, which by then would have been released and adopted by yourselves in a much more open, democratic, and transparent manner.”
The letter of demand was sent to the PEC by Buthane Rasemana Attorneys on Friday.
The members further called on Madadzhe and the provincial list committee (PLC) to invite all branch executive committee members per branch to be randomly chosen to inspect and verify the list nomination outcomes.
This because, they say, it is disputed the nomination outcomes from branches are a true reflection of their will.
Madadzhe and the PLC have been given until tomorrow to comply with their demands or face a legal showdown.
“Should you fail to respond by the stipulated date and time, our clients’ have instructed us to approach the high court on an urgent basis.”
This legal quagmire comes on the heels of some PEC members revealing why it is opposed to health MEC Phophi Ramathuba becoming the premier candidate for the province at next year’s polls.
Ramathuba’s name topped the highly disputed province-to-province list, which is contested by ANC structures across the province.
According to PEC members and regional leaders who prefer to remain anonymous because only the provincial secretary and the provincial spokesperson are authorised to speak to the media, Ramathuba, who topped the manipulated list, is facing a monumental internal rejection.
Several PEC members argue that Ramathuba was imposed by her political ally in the form of Madadzhe working alongside some members of the PLC.
Many also believe that she is not fit to become premier because she is a tainted candidate who has become a PR disaster several times, and her health department is said to be in shambles.
Our informants claim that Ramathuba’s well-documented anti-foreigner stance will taint the whole provincial government should she graduate to become premier.
Those opposed to Ramathuba prefer deputy chair Florence Radzilani, while some prefer public works MEC Nkakareng Rakgoale.
Radzilani is, however, likely to fall short just like Ramathuba owing to historical scandals, chiefly her involvement in the infamous VBS Mutual Bank saga. The ANC Limpopo said candidates lists were handled by the PLC. Spokesperson Jimmy Machaka, said he was not aware of the claims that Ramathuba was unsuitable to become a premier candidate.
“Cde Phophi Ramathuba has not in any manner been implicated in the PPE’s scandal and therefore same cannot be used against her. In any event there is no discussion as yet on three premier candidates and it will be premature to suggest that structures and PEC are opposed to her name”.
