Newly elected Lim mayors raise many eyebrows
The appointment of certain mayors has caused a brouhaha and widened the cracks within the ANC's Provincial Executive Committee (PEC).
LIMPOPO -The party’s Regional Executive Committee (REC) in the province’s biggest region, Mopani, took a contentious decision to appoint a waitress and a teacher as mayors of the Greater Maruleng and Letaba Local Municipalities respectively.
The move was seen by many as a concerted effort by Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha’s detractors to topple him as the ANC’s Provincial Chairperson in the upcoming elective conference.
City Modjadji, a descendent of King Monomotapa of the Modjadji Rain Queen was mayor for the Greater Letaba Local Municipality until Tuesday when his mayoral candidature was brushed aside.
Modjadji is believed to belong to a political faction that supports Mathabatha to retain his positions as Provincial Chairperson and Premier in 2018.
He was replaced by a teacher, Peter Matlou of Mohlabaneng village as new mayor for the municpality.
Modjadji told CV he accepts the replacement and believes the new mayor will do well in leading the municipality to greater heights.
He said he was not at liberty to comment on the allegation of factions.
Meanwhile, the appointment of former restaurant waitress, Dipuo Thobejane as Mayor for the Greater Maruleng Local Municipality sent tongues wagging in all party quarters throughout the province.
The 31-year-old mother of two, who passed matric in 2004 at Maahlamela Secondary School in Die Oaks village outside Hoedspruit is said to be aligned to a faction led by current party Provincial Secretary, Nocks Seabi. The grouping is believed to be hatching a plot to take over the reigns from Mathabatha come the Provincial Elective Conference in two years.
Thobejane is a member of the ANC Youth League where she serves as Party Regional Treasurer with several years of experience in politics.
“I think the gods are finally smiling at me by blessing me with this appointment,” an ecstatic Thobejane told CV on Friday, “For me, my deployment means being a people’s person and serving my constituency and the movement with precision and distinction”.
She said her primary aim is to deliver services to her people, unite the divided sub-region and to swell the structures of the ANC through tolerance and political education.
The ANC in the province brushed aside allegations of factional deployment saying the appointment was done in accordance with the party’s 52 conference resolution.
“Regions submitted three names and the PEC chose one among the three,” said ANC Provincial Spokesperson, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.
Ntshavheni further branded the allegations that there was a political clique intent on toppling the party provincial chairperson as baseless and lacking substance.
