ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula. Photo: Jaco Marais/Gallo Images
The ANC’s regional conferences in Limpopo and Gauteng are being overshadowed by early succession battles for the party’s 2027 national elective conference, with the national leadership, under secretary general Fikile Mbalula, accused of unconstitutional interference to sway outcomes in favour of preferred factions.
In Limpopo, the ninth ANC Vhembe regional elective conference, held at Kalahari Waterfront in Thohoyandou, went ahead last weekend under tight supervision from Luthuli House, after a directive issued by Mbalula’s office stripped local leaders of their administrative powers.
While the conference saw the re-election of Tshitereke Matibe as regional chairperson, the legitimacy of the process is being contested by party insiders who say national interventions breached the ANC’s own rules.
This comes after Mbalula dispatched national organiser Mduduzi Manana and the office of provincial secretary Reuben Madadzhe to take full control of the registration process, which is normally the responsibility of the regional structures.
The decision effectively removed the Vhembe regional coordinator, Rudzani Ludere, from his role managing conference logistics. Ludere, believed to be aligned with former Limpopo treasurer Danny Msiza, was said to be preparing to contest for a key leadership position.
In his letter to the province — seen by the Mail & Guardian — Mbalula gave concern over branch credentials that had been tampered with, and manipulated nomination processes, as justifications for the intervention.
But local leaders and disgruntled members argue that Mbalula’s directive violated the ANC’s constitution, which stipulates that regional conferences should be organised by regional structures, with provincial oversight only when necessary.
“This is pure interference, which is the same thing we saw in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng when they dissolved structures. Now they want to control conferences, which is against the party’s constitution,” said a Limpopo provincial leader who asked not to be named.
“All these conferences are being swayed in the direction of the [secretary general] to make way for the 2027 leadership race. Most of his supporters made their way to leadership, now this is a man playing politics,” the source added.
Matibe’s re-election came amid simmering tensions between rival factions aligned to Madadzhe and Msiza. Before the conference, Madadzhe was said to be positioning Matibe as his regional ally in the build-up to 2027.
Party insiders view the national office’s role as an attempt to consolidate power behind Madadzhe, who is expected to back Mbalula’s succession ambitions.
The new top five elected alongside Matibe are Mfiyeni Chauke (deputy chairperson), Matodzi Ralushai (secretary), Dorcus Mboyi (treasurer) and Fistos Maemu (deputy secretary general). Ralushai is viewed as a close ally of Madadzhe, who played a central role in the conference preparations.
Despite court attempts by disgruntled ANC members to halt the conference over alleged delegate irregularities, Limpopo high court Judge Thogomelani Tshidada struck two applications off the roll after the applicants were not properly served with answering affidavits.
But, for many within the party, the court ruling did little to ease concerns about fairness.
ANC Limpopo spokesperson Jimmy Machaka defended the intervention, saying it was necessary to ensure a credible outcome. “There was no bypassing,” he said, adding that the registration process had been done correctly.
But some within the province argue that the national leadership’s involvement compromised the neutrality of the process and handed an unfair advantage to one faction. “There’s no question this was designed to secure a slate,” one regional member said.
The turmoil in Vhembe is mirrored in Mopani, where a scheduled regional conference was abruptly postponed after 19 branches raised the alarm about “bogus delegates”, including deceased members listed on attendance registers.
The national dispute resolution committee is still investigating, with plans to reconvene the conference this weekend.
These developments follow similar friction in Gauteng, where ANC regional conferences have also faced allegations of interference by national leaders allegedly keen to engineer outcomes ahead of 2027.
Insiders say the interventions are part of a broader campaign by Mbalula to build regional support as he eyes the party presidency.
Mbalula took to X on Monday to condemn the use of courts to resolve internal disputes, calling it “anarchy” and saying the ANC would not be “governed by people who run to the courts when they are losing a conference”.
But critics say it is the actions of his office that are fuelling factionalism and internal distrust.
“The ANC leadership is preaching unity while actively picking sides,” said a senior Gauteng member. “They are reconfiguring regions now so that, when 2027 comes, they already have the numbers.”