By Thabo Monyela
TZANEEN- Limpopo’s African National Congress (ANC) biggest region, Norman Mashabane held a Special Regional General Council (SRGC) last Sunday, February 13 to pronounce its Regional chairperson Pule Shayi for the candidature of the provincial chairperson ahead of the incumbent Provincial chairperson Stanley Mathabatha in the upcoming Provincial conference which will be held in June.
However, Tzaneen Voice has learned of the boiling division within the region’s 129 branches on the endorsement of Pule for the chairmanship, some party blocs in the region are touting Premier Mathabatha for the third term.
Speaking to the publication, Leon Matita from ANC Mark-shope said the region could not reach unity from Sunday’s RGC in terms of the leadership pronouncement and further said he is lobbying for Mathabatha instead of Pule.
“I can confirm that the Mathabatha’s candidature for the chairperson is gaining momentum in the region, here in Mark-shope we have already lobbied 17 branches, Letaba is 16 and in Giyani we have more than 20 branches and as for Maruleng and Ba-Phalaborwa, we are getting there,” Matita said.
The snubbing of the incumbent Provincial spokesperson Donald ‘DOSO’ Selamolela for the treasury by ANC’s Peter Mokaba region, might offer Pule’s candidature’s glimpse of hope for the provincial hot seat and is evident that the two-party blocs might establish a political horse-trading to support each other’s candidature
The region spokesperson, Peter Ngobeni says the region is unfazed by the division and further labeled the media statement of the region’s sub-regional structures rejecting the Pule Shayi’s candidature as bogus.
” The office of the regional secretary never received that thing. Further, we don’t have a structure called Sub-regional leaders in the ANC. As the region we are quite confident that victory is certain ” Ngobeni said.
CoGHTA MEC Basikop Makamu was endorsed
for Deputy Provincial Secretary position
Another name that is touted for a PEC position from ANC Norman Mashabane is the former regional secretary and CoGHSTA MEC Basikop Makamu for the Deputy Secretary.
An ANCYL insider in Vhembe told the publication that the VBS ridden-region has endorsed the leadership list of Mathabatha as Chairperson and Florence Radzilani as the Deputy Chairperson, with the ultimate plan of pushing Stan Mathabata to the national leadership in the upcoming December national conference and Radzilani to replace Mathabatha as a Premier.
