The cracks seem to be widening in the ANC despite the party's renewal programme.
The ANC in Limpopo will meet with the party’s secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula on Thursday to iron out their problems.
This comes after the province’s chair, Stan Mathabatha, sent a letter to Luthuli House on Monday indicating his desire to step down from his duties.
Mathabatha raised a number of concerns about the manner in which some regional conferences had been carried out, including unethical behaviour in the party.
He particularly complained about the conferences in Vhembe and Waterberg.
Mbalula intervenes after Mathabatha’s letter
On Wednesday, the ANC national office confirmed that Mbalula has been tasked with getting to the bottom of the challenges in Limpopo.
“In his correspondence, comrade Mathabatha raised concerns about misconduct, the erosion of ANC values and processes relating to conferences in the Vhembe and Waterberg regions.
“Following receipt of the letter, the secretary-general of the ANC, comrade Fikile Mbalula, has convened a meeting with comrade Mathabatha to deliberate on the issues raised. [This will be] followed by a meeting with the Limpopo provincial leadership tomorrow, Thursday, 4 September, to discuss issues raised by the provincial chairperson,” Bhengu-Motsiri said.
She said Mbalula would communicate the outcomes of these engagements at an appropriate time.
A letter circulated on social media
However, she also said the party is concerned that Mathabatha’s letter was circulated on social media before the matter could be dealt with.
“We reiterate that proper organisational procedures must always be followed, and internal discipline respected, as guided by the constitution of the ANC,” she said.
What does this mean for the ANC in Limpopo
North West University political analyst Andre Duvenhage told The Citizen that Mathabatha’s letter is an indication of factional battles within the ANC.
“There is no doubt in my mind that there are serious and, I cannot emphasise this enough, very serious problems within the ANC. I will not be surprised if the two regions that are mentioned are part of these battles,” he said.
Duvenhage said that if the ANC were to allow Mathabatha to step down, it could weaken the ANC in Limpopo, which has been a party stronghold for years.
“It will definitely weaken the ANC; this will impact them negatively. It will divide the organisation. This also explains the outcomes of some surveys that have been carried out which indicate that their support base is below 30%,” he said.
Why is Mathabatha complaining now?
Duvenhage also questioned Mathabatha’s claims of misconduct and lack of ethical behaviour.
He said these negative attributes had been part of the ANC for some time.
“The problem with the ANC is that all are equal, but some are more equal than others. If you have the right power base behind you, then you can escape,” he said.
He said the ANC “unity” and renewal project seems to be failing.
“There is no renewal, there is absolutely no renewal. Ramaphosa has been surviving within the status quo and doing the bare minimum,” he said.
ALSO READ :Ramaphosa’s ‘praise’ of Zim land grabs has coalition partner fuming
ANC leaders’ comments on the Waterberg regional conference
Despite concerns about the Waterberg regional conference, the ANC’s second deputy secretary-general, Maropene Ramokgopa, praised the region for having a successful conference.
“The conference was peaceful, there is unity. You could see that the resolutions were well thought out and everything went well.
“If there is any other issue that people want to raise, there are structures within the ANC and committees that have been put in place to be able to deal with whatever issue,” she said.
More complaints in Limpopo
Mbalula is expected to also deal with complaints about conferences that took place in Norman Mashabane, Peter Mokaba and the Vhembe regions.
Limpopo has a total of five regions.
NOW READ: Battle for 2026 heats up: Mantashe purged by SACP?
