The public fallout that played out between Limpopo leaders at the ANC Nasrec conference seems likely to clinch its first casualty 10 months after the conference.
Provincial secretary Reuben Madadzhe came under siege at the party’s executive committee (PEC) meeting on Monday, in what appears to be a culmination of the Nasrec conference fallout.
Madadzhe was one of the Limpopo leaders who stood firm against a failed move by provincial chair Stan Mathabatha and his deputy Florence Radzilani to influence delegates from the province to ditch President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Nasrec conference in December.
Ramaphosa had received overwhelming endorsement from the majority of branches in Limpopo ahead of the conference, but at Nasrec, Mathabatha and Radzilani tried to sway Limpopo delegates to vote for his opponent Zweli Mkhize.
This move was thwarted by Madadzhe, along with other Limpopo regional leaders who publicly denounced Mathabatha and Radzilani, saying they did not have the mandate to change the branches’ mandate.
Madadzhe now appears to have received the first indication that he was likely to be the first casualty of the Nasrec fallout after several PEC members are said to have called for his head at the meeting.
The onslaught on Madadzhe is said to have been led by the amaBhubesi faction marshalled by Mathabatha.
“He is as good as gone,” said a senior provincial leader.
A PEC member who attended the meeting said: “You can say the perception that he is as good as gone exists, but the posture in the meeting was that it should be clear and known that the chair [Mathabatha] was still in charge.”
He, however, said though there was an onslaught against Madadzhe, it would be “premature” to say he will soon exit.
Madadzhe appears to have fallen out with the amaBhubesi faction who were critical of his election as secretary at the provincial conference in June.
He was roped into the position after it became clear that the person it was earmarked for, Danny Msiza, would not be eligible to stand.
It’s not easy to remove a sitting secretary, actually it’s not easy to remove any office bearer. For you to remove him you need to a PGC [provincial general council] but how will you get there?
— ANC Limpopo insider
Six months later, at the national conference, Madadzhe went against their wishes and chose to stick to N1 (Ramaphosa) against a proposed move to go towards the N3 (Mkhize).
“People thought the moves would hegemonise after Nasrec, but that’s not happening,” said an insider.
According to insiders who attended the meeting, the attack on Madadzhe came as part and parcel of the contestation of candidates for the mayorship of Collins Chabane local municipality.
Madadzhe is said to have tried to push the PEC to go against the wishes of the Vhembe region on who should be elected mayor and wanted to “impose” his own candidate, Miyelani Chauke.
According to insiders, Madadzhe, who hails from Vhembe, wanted to demonstrate to his constituency that he was “in charge” in the PEC.
“If he succeeded in imposing Mabanana [Chauke] he would be known to have been the one who did that. But he received serious pushback,” another PEC member said.
“The posture should be that the chair is still in charge and that’s what we had to cement.”
A national leader, who is close to the PEC discussions, concurred that there was a push for Madadzhe’s head but insisted the PEC has no powers to remove him.
“Remember even Soviet [Lekganyane, former provincial secretary now NEC member] they couldn’t remove him even when he was under siege and did not enjoy any support, but he remained there until the end of his term,” the leader said.
“It’s not easy to remove a sitting secretary, actually it’s not easy to remove any office bearer. For you to remove him you need to a PGC [provincial general council] but how will you get there?”
This leader said the best they can do is to frustrate Madadzhe out of the job by rendering him useless and shutting down all his views in the PEC.
So bad was the meeting that Mathabatha had to intervene and call for peace.
“The PEC received the political input by the provincial chairperson, comrade Chupu Stanley Mathabatha, who earnestly called upon both the members and leadership of the ANC to unite and reinvigorate the movement as we approach the 2024 general election,” the statement read.
“The provincial chairperson identified various deficiencies within the party that, if left unattended, could potentially weaken the ANC’s stance in the forthcoming elections. These deficiencies include the public spats among ANC members, particularly on social media platforms. The provincial chair invited all PEC members to remain united to drive the province to greater heights.
“Furthermore, he urged the meeting to collectively formulate a fitting response strategy to address the challenges confronting our party. This call to action underscores our unwavering commitment to resolving internal issues and presenting a unified front in the lead-up to the 2024 elections.”
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