By Simon Nare
Hot on the heels of Limpopo ANC chairman Stan Mathabatha stepping aside, citing misconduct, political infighting, and a decline in the party’s values, Secretary General Fikile Mbalula has convened two provincial meetings to seek clarity.
Mathabatha indicated in a letter to Mbalula earlier this week that he was stepping aside as chairman over the disputed conferences in the Waterberg and Vhembe regions.
He said he was taking responsibility for the conduct during the conferences, which he described as foreign to the organisation.
“In order to uphold my reputation and integrity, I cannot stand aloof to such unethical and unANC tendencies occurring under my leadership,” Mathabatha wrote.
“I always stand available to deliberate on these issues further with the national office bearers of the ANC at their convenience and make myself available for interviews. Until then, I will step aside and allow the organisation to function without my involvement,”
Mbalula acknowledged receipt of the letter, saying he would meet with Mathabatha on Wednesday and the provincial leadership on Thursday to discuss the matters raised.
“The ANC registers its dismay that this correspondence first circulated on social media before internal party protocols were observed,” Mbalula said.
“We reiterate that proper organisational procedures must be followed and internal discipline respected as guided by the constitution of the ANC.”
The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in the province criticised Mathabatha’s move, calling it cowardice and an abdication of leadership.
The league said it was aware of the challenges facing the organisation as it pursues renewal but received Mathabatha’s decision with ambivalence.
“It can’t be a provincial chairperson who is expected to provide a perspicacious assessment of the situation and then provide a solution; instead, we are being dragged into a dramatic posture as a movement,” the league said in a statement.
“The ANCYL Limpopo further refuse the characterisation of the ANC purported in the letter. If there is degeneration in the character of the movement, it is the role of the leadership to take responsibility, not to run away from issues. This, in our observation, is a sign of cowardice.”
The league called on the mother body to reject Mathabatha’s move, saying that if he were genuine, he would also resign as an MP and deputy minister.
The Congress of the People (COPE) in Limpopo also condemned Mathabatha’s stepping aside.
It described his reasoning, of citing unethical behaviour, misconduct, and a decline in ANC values, as a hollow attempt to rewrite history and deceive.
“This is not a moment of redemption but a desperate scramble to salvage a tarnished reputation as the ANC’s grip on power weakens under its first coalition government since 1994,” the party said.
COPE argued that Mathabatha had no moral right to speak about values, noting that he had long been part of a corrupt system and linked to a litany of corrupt deals.
“His resignation is not a confession. It is a calculated PR stunt. If he truly regrets anything, he must come clean and explain which unethical acts he is referring to,” COPE said.
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