An early ANC Limpopo elective conference sparks debate over who will succeed Stan Mathabatha as provincial chairperson.
The ANC in Limpopo will hold an early provincial elective conference in an endeavour to make space for the 2026 local government elections.
ANC Limpopo provincial secretary Vhamusanda Reuben Madadzhe said the party had engaged robustly and an early elective conference would give the province ample time to work on its local government election with a new political structure in place.
The term of office for the provincial executive committee (PEC), Madadzhe said, comes to an end in June 2026.
Term of PEC in Limpopo comes to end in June 2026
The announcement of an early PEC conference has since ignited hot debate about which ANC members in the province are eligible to replace Stan Mathabatha as party provincial chair.
The Citizen can reveal that only two names are being touted for Mathabatha’s replacement.
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Topping the list is premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba and that of the current Peter Mokaba regional chair and Polokwane local municipality mayor Makoro John Mpe.
Ramathuba has been credited for her no-nonsense approach to governance, while Mpe has been praised for good audit opinions at his previous Capricorn district and now Polokwane local municipalities.
He is believed to be able to increase party membership and replace the KwaZulu-Natal as the ANC’s biggest province ahead of the party’s national elective conference in 2027.
Candidates running for mayor for Mopani municipality
Others said to be in the running are mayor for the Mopani district municipality, Pule Shayi, current deputy provincial secretary Basikopo Makamu and speaker for the Limpopo provincial legislature, Dr Makoma Makhurupetje.
The current regional secretary for the Sekhukhune region, Mathope Tala, is the favourite to replace the sitting provincial secretary, Madadzhe, who is rumoured to be heading to replace Makamu as Limpopo MEC for cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs under either Ramathuba or Mpe’s ticket.
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Madadzhe is a South African traditional leader and politician serving as the provincial secretary of the ANC in Limpopo since June 2022.
He is also the chief of the Madzikuse area in Tshikonelo, Vhembe district municipal area.
Mpe ‘s allegations
Madadzhe said the ANC in Limpopo had not officially seen anything that suggests Mpe was entangled in the R56.3 million contract awarded to a company allegedly linked to a Zimbabwean “boyfriend” of the city manager.
Mpe claims the allegations are a ploy by his political foes.
