Mopani given the voting go-ahead
Christmas came early on Sunday for supporters of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa after the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC in Limpopo gave the Mopani region the right to hold its elective conference early next month.
LIMPOPO –Â The region, which is characterised by political in-fighting caused by allegations of greed, patronage, purging of comrades, gate-keeping, harassing, intimidation and murdering of comrades, will hold its much awaited conference between 8 and 10 September.
The conference will continue despite several other branches being investigated by the offices of ANC Secretary General, Gwede Mantashe, party Treasurer, General Zweli Mkhize, announced to the party’s PEC during a media briefing at The Ranch Resort outside Polokwane on Sunday.
Mopani is the biggest region in Limpopo in terms on membership followed by Sekhukhune, Vhembe, Peter Mokaba and then Waterberg.
The elective conference in Mopani was postponed three times since February this year amid allegations of improper presentation of membership, ghost branch memberships.
Two months ago, Mantashe’s office boycotted 21 branches from the Giyani sub-region following allegations of improper presentation of membership forms.
The branches were later subjected to re-auditing after disgruntled members lodged complaints with the National Executive Committee of the ANC.
The probe by the party into Limpopo’s wayward and questionable membership comes after preliminary investigations by the party revealed that the region was sitting with over 3 080 fraudulent forms.
Mantashe’s office further revealed that seven of the branches within the sub-region were not in good standing following the revelation of the fraudulent forms.
Among other things, a team comprising high-ranking officials from Luthuli House discovered that bank-stamps were used fraudulently on some of the forms, dates on membership forms did not correspond with the actual dates of filling up the forms, some names where fabricated, proof of payment was tampered with and teller signatures from the bank in which payment was made also left more questions than answers.
A fortnight ago, disgruntled ANC branch members marched to Luthuli House to submit a list of grievances to Mantashe’s office.
The group alleged that certain senior PEC members in the Limpopo ANC deliberately delayed the conference in Mopani as they were not favoured by numbers.
Masilu Maloko, popularly known within the political circle as ‘King Solomon’ said the conference was ostensibly delayed by some PEC members who have a solid interest in the outcome of the conference.
Those in the know say Mopani was the only region in Limpopo that has the backing of former African Union Commission chairperson, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
“But that was before Mantashe’s office revealed ghost membership in the region.
“Come September 9, we will show Dlamini-Zuma that this is not Kwazulu-Natal where the ANC has a name and a surname,” he said.
“We cannot allow Zuma to impose his former wife to lead this historical movement of our ancestors.
“We want to teach them a lesson that Limpopo belongs to Ramaphosa,” said Maloko, who is the chairperson of one of the most powerful and influential ANC branches, the Phusela branch, which is located at the economic hub of the Mopani region in Tzaneen.
Since the announcement, Maloko and his camarilla have been on a drive in the dusty streets of Tzaneen in Bolobedu hooting and shouting Ramaphosa’s name.
ANC regional secretary, Baisekopo Makamu, said the highly contested conference will be held at Karibu Lodge outside Tarentaalrand near Tzaneen.
Those contesting the conference will be Makamu and business mogul and communication fundi, Tseko Mosoloa, for the position of regional Secretary while Ba-Phalaborwa Municipal Mayor, Pule Shai, and the current regional Chairperson, Seaparo Sekoati, will battle it out for the party’s top regional post as chairman.
