Rot in Tshwane ANC has been developing for years

The rot is deep in the ANC in Tshwane. Protests and violence, for factional reasons, have been a recurring theme in recent years.

In April, the provincial leadership expelled the deputy regional secretary and mayoral committee member for transport, George Matjila, for misconduct. In January, female ANC members staged a protest, at which they reportedly exposed their buttocks, outside the party’s regional headquarters in protest against the outcome of a branch meeting held earlier.

Regional leaders have also faced allegations of patronage, with reports in 2014 of a company owned partly by secretary Paul Mojapelo receiving contracts valued at R75m from the Tshwane municipality over the two previous years.

While former minister Thoko Didiza’s deployment seems to have set off the ire of the "community", the protests are not about her, but about those who stand to lose out with a new guard at the helm of the metro.

What does this mean for the ANC’s electoral fortunes in upcoming election, now a little over a month away?

Danny Jordaan has had the benefit of more than a year at the helm of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro to prove his mettle, even to his detractors within the party. He has had as much time to campaign for the party and familiarise himself with local issues.

Still, there remain some in the province who are bitter about his appointment. What chance does Didiza have, with a start like this, only five weeks before the election?

Read the full column on BDlive