Three-horse race for Mabuza’s former position

The race to replace former Mpumalanga ANC provincial chair and current deputy president David Mabuza is set to be a tight three-horse affair.

The potential main contenders are provincial secretary and acting provincial chair Mandla Ndlovu and premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, who is aligned to Mabuza.

But Peter Nyoni has raised his hand as a third candidate, promising to pursue ANC unity and renewal.

He said branches and party members approached him to stand to rescue the divided party from factionalism. Nyoni was seen as glue to unite the party and likely to upset Ndlovu and Mtsweni-Tsipane’s ambitions.

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The ANC’s Mpumalanga provincial elective conference is two years overdue. It was last held in December 2015, and no elections were organised when the provincial executive committee’s (PEC) term expired in 2019.

Even the mid-term provincial general council to assess the party’s performance and fill the vacant chair position was skipped. Ndlovu had been the acting chair since Mabuza left after his election as deputy president at Nasrec in 2017.

Many regard the current PEC as illegitimate that has “overstayed its welcome”. With provincial elections looming, Ndlovu and Mtsweni-Tsipane eyed Mabuza’s former position, but the two have become rivals. Mabuza alienated Ndlovu, his former right-hand man, when he hand-picked Mtsweni-Tsipane, who was not a PEC member, to replace him as premier.

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This caused tension between Ndlovu and Mtsweni-Tsipane and created two centres of power in the province.

Political analyst Gakwi Mashego said the feud between Ndlovu and Mabuza could affect the holding of the provincial elections.