As the African National Congress’s (ANC) new national leadership flexes its muscles, fierce power struggles are raging at provincial level. Many are a continuation of last year’s Polokwane divisions, although there are local twists. This week, the Mail & Guardian looks at three provinces where these dynamics are playing themselves out.
In the Eastern Cape, the provincial leadership — which spearheaded President Thabo Mbeki’s campaign last year — believes it has been targeted after the national executive committee (NEC) decided to disband the Nelson Mandela Bay region, which also supported Mbeki last year.
In the Free State, ANC provincial chairperson Ace Magashule, who delivered the provincial vote for the ANC presidency to Jacob Zuma’s camp last year, could be facing a coalition of people who have fallen out with him over time. The newly elected local ANC Youth League leadership, for example, shunned the Zuma camp candidate for its chair and is likely to be much more robust with Magashule.
In Limpopo, which was evenly balanced between Mbeki and Zuma groupings last year, the youth league has been very vocal in its attempt to oust the Mbeki-supporting Premier, Sello Moloto.
Earlier this year Zuma told Independent Newspapers he was aware that some people who found it difficult to accept his victory were now mobilising at provincial level to destabilise the newly elected leadership. He and his backers believe Mbeki supporters are working to ensure that they win the coming provincial congresses, as well as the youth league and ANC Women’s League congresses, which are all happening this year.
STATES OF SHIFTING POWER
Eastern Cape
The ANC’s new national leadership has intervened in a party dispute in Port Elizabeth, overruling the Eastern Cape provincial leadership and ordering the party’s structure in the city to be disbanded.
The March meeting of the NEC closed down the Nelson Mandela Bay region in Port Elizabeth and decided a new regional conference should take place before the end of next month. The decision has not gone down well with the regional and provincial leadership, which is nevertheless abiding by it.
The Eastern Cape provincial leadership was the first to nominate Mbeki for the ANC presidency last year and now has to work with a national leadership that largely supports Zuma, the eventual winner of the contest.
The decision came after disputes over the legality of a regional conference held a year ago. Three months after the conference several branches wrote to then ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe to complain about the situation.
The matter was postponed several times before the new NEC’s decision this month. The Mail & Guardian has learned that the NEC was not convinced by the solutions suggested by the provincial leadership, which included calling an early conference.
A provincial leader said this option would have let the region’s executive committee ”step down with dignity and give us a way to start addressing the deep-rooted divisions in the region. By disbanding the region we are not solving anything. It will not help the healing process to begin.”
The provincial leadership regards the NEC decision as contrary to the ANC constitution, which gives the province the power to disband a region, said a provincial leader who preferred to remain anonymous.
The Eastern Cape provincial leadership was vocal in its support for Mbeki in the run-up to the Polokwane conference. Although some regions in the province dissented, the Nelson Mandela Bay region supported Mbeki’s campaign strongly.
Mike Xego, who was elected Nelson Mandela Bay region’s chair at the disputed conference last year, was initially rumoured to be campaigning for presidential hopeful Tokyo Sexwale, but later joined the Mbeki campaign.
Limpopo
Efforts by supporters of Zuma in Limpopo to remove Premier Sello Moloto as the provincial ANC chairperson before the provincial conference in July have failed.
Since the ANC’s national conference last December, Moloto has come under pressure from some of his comrades in the ANC and the provincial ANC Youth League to step down after he supported Mbeki’s bid to be re-elected ANC president. Limpopo was one of the few provinces that supported Mbeki’s reelection during the party’s nomination process.
Mbeki’s supporters say they will ensure that Moloto retains his position as the party’s provincial chairperson. But the youth league wants to replace him with Cassel Mathale, an outspoken Zuma supporter.
The M&G has learned that a lobby group favouring Moloto’s re-election has been working hard to increase his support in the province. This week the M&G spoke to some of Moloto’s key campaigners, who claimed he was supported by more than 60% of all ANC branches in Limpopo.
”People should not be misled by the outcome of the ANC’s national conference. Provincial conferences have their own dynamics and members of the ANC in this province have demonstrated their unwavering support for Moloto in the past and that position has not changed,” said an ANC Limpopo executive committee member who is close to Moloto.
Another provincial leader pointed out that Moloto was elected unopposed in 2005 and said this showed Moloto enjoyed majority support in the province.
Said Moloto in an interview this week: ”I know the people appreciate what I am doing. I stick to principles. I would rather get out of my position than act in an unprincipled manner.”
Moloto said he was not bothered by the youth league’s calls for him to step down. ”Ever since I was elected the youth league never wanted me. All they say has never meant anything to me,” he said.
A youth league leader who supports Mathale’s campaign claimed Moloto’s popularity among ANC members has declined significantly since the national conference. ”His people are now turning against him. They are coming to us in numbers. Our position [supporting Mathale] is enjoying overwhelming support.”
The youth league has accused Moloto of purging its members who are employed by the provincial government because they disagree with his opinions.
However, Moloto has hit back, saying he has only dismissed those whose appointments were irregular. He accused Joe Maswanganyi, the former provincial sports, arts and culture minister, of employing about 200 community development workers improperly. ”I was put under pressure when I came into office to correct those mistakes,” said Moloto.
Regions that support Moloto’s re-election include Capricorn, Waterberg and half of Vhembe and Mopani. The ANC Women’s League in Limpopo, which is led by provincial public works minister Rosina Semenya, is also expected to throw its weight behind Moloto.
Mathale is supported by the regions of Sekhukhune, parts of Vhembe and Mopani regions and the provincial youth league.
Free State
ANC Free State chairperson Ace Magashule could be ousted from his party leadership by colleagues he has antagonised over the years.
Magashule has survived a number of attempts to topple him as ANC provincial leader in the 10 years he has held the position. However, some of his colleagues believe he has outgrown provincial politics and that he should make way for new blood at the Free State ANC congress in June.
Members of his close circle told the M&G that his rivals, with supporters of Mbeki, could mount a challenge at the provincial congress.
Magashule is a prominent supporter of ANC president Jacob Zuma and delivered the province to the Zuma camp last year. In so doing he snubbed Mbeki, who for years has refused to appoint him premier.
The new Free State ANC Youth League leadership, elected last week, is expected to be fiercely critical of his leadership. In the battle for the youth league chair Thabo Meeko was elected over Skotch Mooketsi, a known Zuma supporter considered to be close to Magashule.
The Free State league has also nominated Saki Mofokeng as national chairperson in the vote to be held at the league’s national conference next week. Although a past Zuma supporter, Mofokeng is now also supported by the Mbeki camp.
At a rally in Mangaung last June, Magashule was booed by youths when he spoke.
The ANC in the province is currently locked in court battles with branch members from three regions — Lejweleputswa, Motheo and Fezile Dabi — who cite electoral irregularities in their regions. The High Court has ordered that branches from those regions hold annual general meetings by the end of April.
The ANC has suspended former provincial minister Vax Mayekiso and current MP Sello Dithebe from party activities, saying their involvement in the court applications goes against party policy. Both deny it, saying their names do not appear in the court papers, and claim that Magashule is trying to elbow them out of regional and provincial leadership contests.
Dithebe, who serves as a whip in the National Assembly, said he had been approached to stand as Lejweleputswa chair.
”We have reached a point where the values of the movement should be respected by us all. We are dealing with individuals who believe that democracy is only acceptable when they or their proxy win positions. The problem is that the media is not writing about grassroots people who are fighting for democracy in the Free State,” he said.
Acting provincial secretary Sibongile Besani said the ANC was unaware of any unhappiness with Magashule.
”The provincial executive remains confident with the leadership of the provincial chairperson. No individual controls the provincial executive committee. Decisions are taken collectively,” Besani said.