ANC bigwigs vie for top Mopani position

Battle lines have been drawn as ANC bigwigs in Mopani vie for the regional secretary position.

The job has been vacant since Limpopo’s controversial elective conference last year, when regional secretary Baisekopo Makamu was elected Limpopo ANC deputy provincial secretary.

The region, which is the biggest in Limpopo in terms of membership, has been running without a full-time secretary for nearly a year.

Some ANC pundits believe secretaries are the core engines of the organisation and without them, the party is likely to lose membership ahead of local government elections in 2021.

The Citizen has had calls from party members who accuse the ANC’s provincial executive committee (PEC) of rejecting their plans to have an early regional elective conference.

“Some PEC members, who think they are the ANC, want to micromanage us … some of them have interests in the affairs of the region,” said one regional executive committee member who spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to insiders, Peter Matlou, currently acting secretary and Greater Letaba mayor, leads the list of names vying for the position.

Yesterday, Matlou refused to comment except to say he was prepared for any deployment. He referred all inquiries to the PEC.

ANC provincial secretary Soviet Lekganyane said the term of office for regional leadership was three years. He said the Mopani regional leadership was elected in September 2017, so next year their term of office would expire.

“We have never received calls, reports or complains from the region for failing to execute its day-to-day mandate because its secretary was elevated to provincial politics,” said Lekganyane.

Lekganyane added it was prudent for the region to do things by the book, or wait for the next elective conference to replace Makamu.

Last Monday, regional secretaries and their chairpersons attended a training course on recruitment and party membership, and were warned not to conduct elective conferences until they had completed the course.

Meanwhile, the PEC in Limpopo has appointed Merriam Malatji as new mayor for the Ba-Phalaborwa municipality and the sub-regional deputy secretary for Giyani. Basani Shivambu became the new mayor for Giyani municipality.

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