‘Recycling dead wood’: Opposition unhappy over Limpopo premier’s cabinet reshuffle

Opposition parties have expressed their discontent over the additions to Limpopo premier, Stan Mathabatha’s Cabinet.

On Thursday, Mathabatha reshuffled his MECs, axing three officials from the 10-member Cabinet, with ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) members Florence Radzilani and Nakedi Sibanda-Kekana coming into the provincial government.

Radzilani was appointed as MEC for Transport and Community Safety, while Sibanda-Kekana takes over Sport, Arts and Culture portfolio.

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Radzilani and Sibanda-Kekana’s appointment coincides with their election as deputy chairperson and treasurer respectively during ANC Limpopo’s elective conference in June.

They returned to the PEC in 2020, after having been fired as mayors of Vhembe municipality and Lepelle-Nkumpi municipality for being implicated in the VBS Mutual Bank scandal.

A report had found that both municipalities unlawfully invested a combined total of R450 million in VBS Bank, which has since been liquidated following bankruptcy.

However, Radzilani and Sibanda-Kekana have not been criminally charged.

‘Recycling dead wood’

In a statement on Friday, ActionSA suggested that Mathabatha only appointed the pair to his Cabinet “to satisfy the insatiable appetite of the dominant faction that he leads in Limpopo”.

“ActionSA will not be fooled by the shenanigans of a premier besieged by his faction to provide blue lights to the corrupt and incompetent as per the demand of his faction,” ActionSA Limpopo chairperson, Sello Lediga said.

Lediga said it has been clear that Mathabatha has been under “extreme pressure” to appoint Radzilani and Sibanda since the ANC conference, adding that the reshuffle had “nothing to do with service delivery”.

“It is nothing else but the sharing of the spoils of a dominant faction that crushed the Masemola-Lekganyane faction in the last conference,” he continued.

The ActionSA provincial chair further called on the Hawks as well as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) arrest the two former mayors for their alleged role in VBS.

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The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Limpopo shared the same sentiments, saying the reshuffle was not “people-oriented” and accused Mathabatha of “recycling dead wood”.

“The premier has over the years, since he took over the reigns, reshuffled the executive on the basis of friendship and political loyalty. Those who are loyal to him are recycled and moved to other portfolios despite their lacklustre and dismal performance.

“He rewards and appoint members of the executive on the basis of factional battles within the ANC not on the basis of good work ethics and clean governance,” the Red Berets said in a statement on Thursday.

“We are shocked that Florence Radzilani and Nakedi Sibanda Kekana who were implicated in the collapse of VBS are also included in the executive, confirming the notion that those who are corrupt are rewarded with positions in government,” the provincial party added.

Phophi Ramathuba

The party also said it was “mind-boggled” by Health MEC, Phophi Ramathuba retaining her position.

“This is the same MEC whose obsession with xenophobia and the hatred for African people is public knowledge. Recently, she has been in the news not for service delivery but for hating Africans from other countries with passion.”

The EFF indicated that it was of the view that the health system in the province was worse under Ramathuba’s “poor leadership”.

“The health system in Limpopo has collapsed under her watch with many hospitals and clinics having serious shortage of doctors, nurses and medicine.”

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Ramathuba made headlines in August, after she blamed the lack of hospital service delivery on the burden of having to treat foreign nationals.

In a video clip, the Health MEC was heard telling an alleged Zimbabwean patient that she was confined to the Bela-Bela Hospital in Limpopo until she paid her medical bills.

While she was criticised over the incident by some, Ramathuba doubled down on her views.

Meanwhile, the Red Berets further said it was not confident in the entire Cabinet because “none of them have demonstrated capacity of being agents of change in their previous lives in government”.

“The political survival strategy of the premier is to always surround himself with useless yes men and women who are loyal to him. It has never been about the people, but it has always been political survival of the premier evident by his appetite to become the national chairperson of the ANC.”