Oscar Mabuyane was elected in 2017 during a conference that would later be dubbed the “festival of chairs”, when it descended into violence when chairs were thrown about, injuring several people. (Photo by Masi Losi/ The Times/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
The ANC in the Eastern Cape is preparing to hold its long-awaited provincial conference at which three party leaders will go head-to-head.
As the ANC’s third largest province, after Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape will inevitably have some leverage when the party heads to its national elective conference in December.
With President Cyril Ramaphosa’s job up for grabs, many of his allies have visited the province in an attempt to sway those not backing him.
Ramaphosa supporter Oscar Mabuyane won the previous provincial elective conference against former chair Phumulo Masualle, whose allies were hoping to install Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as party president.
Much like the 2017 Nasrec conference, the 2022 national elective conference is expected to have firm contenders. The Eastern Cape, which holds much influence, will be in a powerful position during negotiations with other provinces and national leaders.
Here is a brief look at three contenders vying for the ANC’s provincial chair position in the Eastern Cape.
Oscar Mabuyane
Until recently, Mabuyane was the provincial chairperson alongside a united provincial executive committee. Mabuyane was elected in 2017 during a conference that would later be dubbed the “festival of chairs”, when it descended into violence when chairs were thrown about, injuring several people.
One of his first unpopular decisions was the dissolution of the Nelson Mandela Bay ANC region in 2018. The region was known as the Eastern Cape home of former president Jacob Zuma, with allies such as Andile Lungisa wielding much power.
Shortly before Mabuyane was elected, the province lost out the 2016 local elections, with the Democratic Alliance-led coalition taking over the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan municipality. This meant the ANC in the province would only hold one metro.
Among some of the difficulties the province faced during his tenure as the provincial chair was the state of the provincial hospitals regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mabuyane was criticised for having appointed and defended the then health MEC, Sindiswa Gomba. Gomba was criticised by the then health minister, Zweli Mkhize, for having failed to act quickly in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Gomba also faced charges of money laundering, fraud and violation of the Municipal Finance Act in relation to the alleged syphoning off of a portion of the R10-million that was meant for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s funeral.
In 2021, public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane found that Mabuyane and the Eastern Cape head of public works, Babalo Madikizela, had criminally benefitted from a portion of the R1.1-million of Mbizana municipal funds meant for the memorial service of Madikizela-Mandela.
After finding criminal intent by Mabuyane and his provincial government colleagues, including contraventions of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, the public protector’s office said it had referred the matter to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks).
The provincial integrity commission cleared Mabuyane and Madikizela of all wrongdoing in the Mbizana and Madikizela-Mandela saga.
Before his position as provincial chair, Mabuyane served two terms as the provincial secretary under Masualle. It was during this time that Mabuyane shifted from the Zuma faction to that of Ramaphosa.
Mabuyane also served as the ANC Youth League deputy chairperson during Julius Malema’s tenure as the league’s president.
Babalo Madikizela
Madikizela, having had no serious public profile, almost seemed the biggest winner in the 2017 provincial ANC elections. He was elected as the provincial treasurer on the Mabuyane slate.
The young leader did not hold his tongue about his loyalty to Mkhize at the height of the 2017 elections campaign. The Alfred Nzo region, home to Madikizela, was one of the few regions in the Eastern Cape that entertained Mkhize as a possible contender against Dlamini-Zuma and Ramaphosa. In the last hour, Madikizela and the Alfred Nzo region changed their tune and endorsed Ramaphosa after Mkhize declined the nomination.
During his time as provincial treasurer, Madikizela began to consolidate disgruntled regions behind his campaign. The Mbizana businessman brought together those aligned to Dlamini-Zuma and Ramaphosa on his slate.
During his time as the regional heavyweight in the Alfred Nzo region, Madikizela stood against his peers, opting to endorse Kgalema Montlathe against Zuma.
He was also part of a cohort that emerged in the youth league when Ayanda Matiti was elected as the provincial youth league chair in 2009. Matiti was seen as Malema’s proxy in the fight to regain power against his then-deputy and Eastern Cape youth leader, Lungisa.
Before his election as provincial treasurer, Madikizela served one term as regional treasurer in Alfred Nzo.
Mlibo Qoboshiyane
In a recent interview with TimesLive, Qoboshiyane, a latecomer in the jostling for power, said he had entered the race because the ANC in the province has failed to build unity and cohesion under Mabuyane.
Qoboshiyane, a heavyweight in his own right, was thrown into the political wilderness after he and others questioned the validity of the outcomes of the conference that led to Mabuyane’s election as provincial chair.
A former ally of Mabuyane, Qoboshiyane went against his friend in 2017 believing that Mabuyane should not have stood against Masualle.
Qoboshiyane, who is also known to have a close association with Zuma, once led the youth league with Mabuyane as his deputy.
He then became the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality speaker and the youngest councillor in 2006.
During Masualle’s administration, Qoboshiyane was appointed as the MEC for local government and traditional affairs and prides himself for having left the department with clean audit outcomes.
It is believed that Qoboshiyane will probably consolidate his support with that of Madikizela when the party holds its elective conference.
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