The ANC’s secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, is set to hold crisis discussions with the party’s Limpopo leadership on Thursday, days after the provincial chair, Stan Mathabatha, abruptly resigned.
Mathabatha, who met Mbalula on Wednesday, resigned on Monday due to disillusionment with the alleged rigging of regional conferences. Mbalula confirmed he received notice of Mathabatha’s decision to resign before holding the crisis talks.
“The decision is motivated by the concerning misconduct and lack of ANC values I have observed within the organisation in the province, particularly in relation to the processes towards, and conduct within, the conferences of the Vhembe and Waterberg regions,” said Mathabatha, who is also the deputy minister of land reform and rural development, in his resignation letter.
The controversy follows the recent regional conferences in Vhembe and Waterberg, where allegations of procedural manipulation, factional stacking and financial misconduct have surfaced.
“The ANC Limpopo is awaiting decisions by the ANC national executive committee, as the investigating team has concluded its work. We shall await such outcomes in due course,” ANC Limpopo spokesperson Jimmy Machaka said.
Limpopo is the ANC’s electoral stronghold, delivering a commanding 75% of the vote for the party in the 2024 general election. Any instability in the province carries significant ramifications for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s renewed reform agenda and the party’s prospects in looming local government elections in 2026.
Mathabatha’s resignation from the position also comes ahead of the provincial conference in 2026, where premier Phophi Ramathuba and Polokwane mayor John Mpe are expected to contest for chair.
The ANC Youth League in the province welcomed Mathabatha’s decision to resign.
“We call on the ANC leadership to reject this step aside. If Mathabatha feels that what he calls his integrity is too big for the ANC, he might as well pen a short resignation letter without causing drama. This must he accompanied by his resignation from parliament and his role as a deputy minister,” said the league’s secretary Phineas Sebola.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.