Jaycee Nxamakele, the former mayor of Matlosana in Klerksdorp who recently committed suicide after killing his wife and children, may have been targeted for a political purge by an ANC faction in North West nicknamed “the Talibans”.
A document in the possession of the Mail & Guardian, apparently penned by African National Congress (ANC) members, refers to a “Talibans” plan to oust members of another ANC faction, “Mapogo”, in a move to expunge the legacy of former North West premier Popo Molefe.
The stated aim was to remove all those who served under Molefe as provincial MPs, mayors, ANC provincial executive committee members and senior municipal officials.
Perceptions that factional plotting was responsible for the tragedy sparked pandemonium at Nxamakele’s funeral last Sunday. Angry South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) members protested against the presence of the ANC provincial leadership and tried to stop North West Premier and ANC provincial chairperson Edna Molewa from addressing mourners, seeing them as “Talibans” members.
A party source said members of “the Talibans” were warned not to attend because they would face the wrath of Sanco members who believed that “the ANC had contributed to Nxamakele’s death”.
Dated December 19 last year and titled Eradication of Popo Molefe’s Legacy, the document names Nxamakele (40) and says he will be rendered “useless [sic] through redeployment”. Nxamakele lost the mayor’s job after the March municipal elections and appears to have been destitute at the time of his suicide. However, he may have had other motives for turning a gun on himself after shooting his wife Nokhaya (39) and their two sons, Nkululeko (7) and Sabelo (5), at his Klerksdorp home. It is understood he was also under investigation for tender irregularities during his mayoral term.
Whatever the truth of the suicide, the document suggests profound divisions in the North West ANC. It spells out details of a “political plan” to root out “once and for all” the regime of Molefe, seen as a Mapogo member. Molefe was the provincial ANC chairperson and premier from 1994 to 2004. He has now quit active politics.
It says: “No executive mayor will be left unless we are sure he or she is going the lines we are taking … Among the mayors there is JC Nxamakele and Dikoko, Thabo Mabe … We will render them useless through redeployment.”
The M&G understands that Dikoko Matshediso, former mayor of the Southern District Municipality, is also jobless. Mabe was removed as mayor of Rustenburg and is now the speaker of the Rustenburg council. The document continues: “We will ensure institutional transformation at municipalities starting with the change of mayors and executives … We would like to deploy 99% of new executive mayors and their executive committees.”
The ANC has questioned the authenticity and substance of the document. “We reject with contempt an opportunistic characterisation of the so-called Popo Molefe ‘legacy’ which the provincial executive committee is allegedly intending to destroy. No leader of the ANC has a personal project outside the collective to which only a few subscribe. This is a clear case of factionalism and should be fought and defeated by all of us,” said Sam Mokaila, ANC provincial spokesperson.
“We also reject any insinuations that the reason/s of the famicide case of the Nxamakele family may have anything to do with the ANC,” he said.
Nxamakele had told the M&G earlier this year that he did not have “ambitions to be a mayor” because he had been promised redeployment to the national legislature.
“All this contributed to the start of a very frustrating period for him because the promises did not materialise,” the party source said. “He found himself without a job and struggled to maintain his family because of some people who did not want him in the ANC.”
At Nxamakele’s funeral, premier Molewa was also quoted in media reports as saying there were deep divisions in the provincial ANC.
This week, ANC provincial secretary Supra Mahumapelo denied that there were factions and infighting in the provincial ANC. However, he acknowledged having heard of factions nicknamed “Talibans”, “Mapogo”, “Hezbollah”, “Gamas”, “Takalani Sesame” and “Chappies Little League”.
Mahumapelo said the ANC provincial leadership had conducted an investigation into the authenticity and origins of the document. He would not divulge its findings.