Leadership positions up for grabs as Mpumalanga ANC heads to elective conference

After years of anticipation and eyeing the position of chairperson Mandla Ndlovu, who is the convenor of Mpumalanga’s provincial task team, and former provincial secretary, Lucky Ndinisa, who remains close to the African National Congress (ANC)’s deputy president and former long-time provincial chairperson David Mabuza, will go head-to-head to replace him.

Mpumalanga has struggled to successfully hold its conference to replace Mabuza, who left the province when he was elected to national office in 2017, but his shadow continues to linger over the province, with many who were once loyal to him now at odds, as some seek to create a legacy beyond the powerful and enigmatic leader of the governing party.

The race to lead the province of the rising sun has had many faces, but acting provincial chairperson, now convener of the PTT, Ndlovu, has remained a constant and one who has enjoyed the most public support from several members of the now-disbanded PEC.

Ndlovu was once close to Mabuza, even being seen at some point as “the anointed one” when it came to replacing the former provincial chair, but that relationship has taken strain and grown frosty over time as the leader attempted to create his own legacy outside of Mabuza’s shadow.

His faction, called Focus, is likely to walk away victorious when voting comes to an end on Saturday.

But even with the odds stacked against him, it’s understood that the former provincial secretary remains confident that he might be able to garner enough support to topple Ndlovu and those linked to the dominant faction.

Ndinisa is being backed by a lobby group known as Ngqi, which initially eyed Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane to become the first female provincial chair but after her own fall out with “the farm,” as Mabuza is often referred to in the province and in reference to his Barberton home, Ndinisa became a name that many put forward.

While he is said to be “99.9%” confident, others have decried his attempts, claiming the man, with mannerisms that mirror those of Mabuza, came to the party a little too late.

Eyewitness News understands that previous contender for the post, Peter Nyoni, who is the deputy director-general at the premier’s office and whose rallying call has been to unite the province and focus on service delivery, has read the writing on the wall and now completely abandoned his ambitions for chair and is now lobbying to get into the top five leadership of Mpumalanga through the treasurer post.

The Focus group has Mandla Msibi as its preferred candidate, but he has stepped aside following murder charges that were brought against him last year.

ANC national executive committee member, Dakota Legoete, has told the publication that this conference will continue, in spite of a bid to halt it due to be heard on Friday morning.

Two party members have questioned the ANC national working committee’s decision to convert the PEC, whose mandate had long expired, into a PTT, claiming that the ANC constitution gives that authority solely to the NEC, which is the highest decision making body in between conferences. The ANC has argued that the NEC ratified this decision and it doesn’t believe there’s any merit to the application.

This weekend’s conference will be the first big gathering and provincial elections held in the ANC since the country was hit by COVID-19 in 2020. It will be used as a litmus test to see if normal organizational life can resume while adhering to existing COVID protocols.

The ANC reinforced its deployees to the province, sending six NEC members to assist in delivering a successful conference, while adding five other names, including Mtsweni-Tsipani to the PTT.

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the province at the close of the conference.

This event comes to a close on Sunday.

-EWN

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