ANCYL goes to bat for Limpopo premier

The influential ANC Youth League in Limpopo is at odds with the Congress of the South African Trade Union (Cosatu) over the latter’s call for Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha to resign.

The union made the call at the weekend, during its provincial executive committee (PEC) meeting, claiming the province’s first resident had failed to take action on issues of corruption.

The call by Cosatu was met with sharp criticisms from the Vhembe ANCYL region, which is the second biggest after Mopani in terms of membership, which said the pronouncement by trade union was not only ill-informed, but was also divisive and factional.

“We view comments by Cosatu as a crude attempt to delegitimise the ANC leadership in the province. We say this kind of views are capable of creating divisions within the party and its alliance partners. This venomous and malicious personal attack on the premier is seen as an attempt to instil fear amongst comrades as we move towards our regional elective conference. But we can now say without any fear that calling for the removal of Mathabatha by Cosatu is tantamount to bringing the whole alliance into disrepute,” said ANC Youth League Vhembe regional coordinator, Fistos Mafela on Tuesday.

Mafela said: “We want to call the secretary of Cosatu to stop being a political commentator and a self-appointed critic of government and ANC leaders because the real Cosatu we know will not run to the media before calling its alliance partners to discuss the challenges they faced.”

Cosatu at the weekend accused Mathabatha of failing to take action on serious corruption issues that continued to dent the image of the province. Among the issues are:

• The notorious Burgersfort/ Tbatse land deal wherein a 107.74 hectares of land, valued at R8.14 million was sold to the provincial government at 14 times its value for R116.5 million.
• The Sekhukhune district municipality’s R5.2 million and R12 theft of municipal funds and R26 million in tender irregularities.
• The suspension of the public works HOD, who allegedly stole R11,000 from travel claims.
• The theft of computers at the Capricorn district municipality, and
• Claims that Mathabatha’s alleged inaction at the embattled Mogalakwena municipality on issues of corruption involving more than R1 billion.

“Because of his failure to effect consequence management and his poor leadership style. We want him to go,” said Cosatu Limpopo provincial secretary, Gerald Twala on Monday.

Mathabatha’s political future will also top the agenda during the provincial executive committee meeting this Sunday, according to the SACP provincial spokesperson Machike Thobejane.

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