Sizwe sama Yende
Three incumbent premiers in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and the Northern Cape will return to their positions and in four provinces there will be new faces.
The People’s Eye has seen a correspondence that ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, has forwarded to provincial secretaries and national executive committee members following interviews that started on Monday until Wednesday this week.
According to the correspondence Mpumalanga ANC chairperson, Mandla Ndlovu, will succeed Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane who has served one term. In Limpopo, Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba will take over from Stanley Mathabatha. Mathabatha is still ANC chairperson until the next conference.
In the Free State, Mxolisi Dukwana will be replaced by Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae and in the North-West, Kagiso Lazarus Mokgosi replaces Bushy Maape.
Panyaza Lesufi will remain premier should the ANC reach agreements with potential partners to govern the hung Gauteng province. Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane is returning in the Eastern Cape and Zamani Saul in the Northern Cape.
Ndlovu has been Mpumalanga Public Works MEC in Mtshweni-Tsipane’s cabinet. When he was elected provincial chairperson in 2022, Ndlovu said he would sit back and let Mtshweni-Tsipane finish her term.
However, there were divisions lately, as provincial executive committee members who were aligned to Ndlovu had been threatening to pass a motion of no confidence against Mtshweni-Tsipane.
When it became clear that Ramathuba was a top contender for the premiership, her detractors intensified their campaign by looking for every fault in the health department. That campaigned faltered as she received most votes from the PEC to be premier-elect. Among the contenders in all provinces, Ramathuba was the most attacked and endured the most lynching during in the race.
Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae was MEC for Community Safety and Transport in the Free State. She previously served in portfolio committees in the legislature and is ANC PEC.
Mokgosi is ANC deputy chairperson in the North-West. He was also Social Development MEC and had previously served in the provincial legislature.
The ANC did not bother interviewing candidates in KwaZulu-Natal where the party lost dismally to the Umkhonto we Sizwe Party.