ANC Limpopo chair Stan Mathabatha may have “misbehaved” by going against the mandate of branches by attempting to influence delegates from his province to dump President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Nasrec conference but that does not mean he should be “chucked” out of the organisation.
This is according to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula who on Sunday told media in Limpopo he is aware of calls for Mathabatha to be removed for defying party structures ahead of the Nasrec conference in December.
He however said people cannot be removed over their leadership preference.
In fact, Mbalula said, Mathabatha's popular "amabhubesi" (lions) stance was defeated at the Nasrec conference.
“He stood against the position of the province, he misbehaved because the province had a position that Ramaphosa must be president and then he became a Bhubesi on his way to the conference,” said Mbalula.
“So you can't chuck a comrade out of the organisation because he held a different view and he misbehaved along the way, you engage around that particular issue.”
Mathabatha is under siege in his province for his failed attempt to influence Limpopo delegates to ditch Ramaphosa at the Nasrec conference in December.
Ramaphosa and the party’s national working committee (NWC) were in Limpopo this weekend where they heard calls for Mathabatha to be disciplined for attempting to change the mandate of delegates at the eleventh hour.
Ramaphosa had received overwhelming endorsement from the majority of branches in Limpopo, but at Nasrec Mathabatha and his deputy Florence Radzilani tried to sway Limpopo delegates to vote for his opponent Zweli Mkhize.
The move failed dismally when they were unable to convince branch delegates to switch allegiance.
Sunday Times reported that sources who attended regional general councils across the province on Saturday said party members were pushing for Mathabatha to be removed or for the dissolution of the entire provincial executive committee (PEC).
“The provincial chair is under fire, and the whole PEC,” said a provincial leader who was at a regional meeting that Ramaphosa attended in Thohoyandou in Vhembe.
“They are accusing the premier of changing the mandate. They are looking at both angles but are saying you have to take the entire team, you don’t only take the head.”
Mathabatha’s fate is expected to dominate discussions at the ANC NWC meeting on Monday.
Mbalula has insisted the NWC visit in Limpopo was not about the fate of Mathabatha over his “misbehaviour” at the conference but they would not suppress those who would want to raise the matter.
“The fundamental question should be what is it that he's doing as a premier, as a chairperson, that undermines the cohesion of the province. That's what is important that can actually be looked at but it's not the subject of the meeting.
"We are here, if comrades want to raise it they are free to raise it with the leadership why they want the chairperson to go. The NWC is here,” he said.
“We are not going to wait for problems to gather storm over time and we only come back at that particular moment. Our focus as the leadership is to resolve any other problem that is there. When we rise from this meeting we will know what are the problems and what needs to be done.”
However, those who wanted to raise the issue of Mathabatha being hauled over the coals must supply sufficient reasons.
“We must be told what is it that the chairperson has done and then we evaluate and we look at that with the province but if comrades want to raise it with us they must then come with cogent reasons why should that actually happen.
"We are aware that because of what happened in Nasrec there's been mobilisation against the chairperson and the fact that he must go,” Mbalula said.
“You don't chuck a person out simply because he had political beliefs called amabhubesi in Nasrec. A person can remain Bhubesi till he dies, it's fine, it's his belief and that belief was defeated in the conference. But you don't say Mbalula did not support me at the conference therefore he must go, that is not ANC.
“It means we'll change leaders at every conference. As a matter of principle that cannot happen. You chuck Mbalula out because he's underperforming and he's not available for the job.
"You don't chuck a person from the job because 'amabhubesi, amabhubesi', he was there at Nasrec he got defeated. The man stood, he was defeated, and then we've got a national chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, we've got Cyril Ramaphosa.”
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