Fallout from Vhembe council reshuffle divides Limpopo ANC

The Limpopo ANC’s provincial executive committee (PEC) has allegedly ordered the party’s regional executive committee (REC) in the Vhembe region to reverse the contentious removal of four councillors in the Vhembe District Municipality, but the REC has ignored the instruction.

The removal of Joe Chabane, Robert Magada, Samuel Magada and Ndivhuwo Radamba as Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) a fortnight ago raised the ire of the provincial leadership. But the REC under the tutelage of executive mayor Dowelani Nenguda stood by its decision.

The controversial council reshuffle, which was branded as “a political purge” by some ahead of the regional elective conference, has since divided the council and the ANC in the region and in the province into two factions.

The region was supposed to host its elective conference between 29 and 31 May, but the conference has since been postponed indefinitely because of the lockdown.

All the reshuffled councillors are said to be speaking a different language, with Nenguda going to the conference in terms of leadership choices and preferences to lead the region for the next three years.

“We have told them the move to reshuffle the four councillors was dangerous, ill-formed and divisive as it had the potential to divide the organisation for good. We also told them that the decision must be reversed,” said a PEC source.

ANC provincial secretary Soviet Lekganyane said the party was going to write a letter to the REC to communicate the PEC’s decision in line with the meeting between the two structures.

The Citizen can exclusively reveal that the reshuffle issue was not on the agenda during the district municipality council virtual sitting on Monday.

This newspaper can also reveal that the sitting only discussed the adoption of the 2020/2021 budget and the adoption of the municipality’s Infrastructure Development Plan. The reversal of the reshuffle was not discussed.

During an interview last week, Nenguda said he had consulted on the reshuffle and that there was no way he would make a U-turn.

ANC regional chairperson Tshitereke Matibe said the region was not in defiance of the PEC’s decision.

– news@citizen.co.za

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