Johannesburg- The national leadership of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) is gunning for the provincial chairman, Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha.
Cracks are becoming more pronounced ahead of the local government elections due to take place on August 3.
Mathabatha has been dubbed “the enemy” and described as “autocratic” by the ANCYL who urged him to refrain from “marginalising” them in Limpopo.
Read: Crisis brews in Limpopo ANC
He has ruffled the feathers by snubbing ANCYL provincial chairman Vincent Shoba to become the mayoral candidate of Tubatse, soon to be merged with Fetakgomo to become a metro.
ANCYL national secretary Njabulo Bhekamanzuza Nzuza has accused Mathabatha of taking a decision to pronounce Chorus Phokwane ahead of Shoba despite an ANC national executive committee resolution that the matter should be resolved after the elections.
A fuming Nzuza said the youth league “does not take Stan (Mathabatha) seriously. He lacks oversight and he doesn’t understand young people are the future. He must invest in the future of young people. He has no powers to pronounce a candidate on that matter.”
He also warned if Mathabatha fails to adhere to the ANCYL’s calls to change his mind, they would not hesitate to call for his removal as the provincial chairman and Limpopo premier.
Shoba refused to talk but referred all queries to ANCYL provincial secretary Che Selane who wasted no time in pouncing on the premier.
“He is marginalising and undermining us. He doesn’t want to empower the youth.”
Selane said he found it “puzzling” that Shoba was working as a firefighter at Moutse and yet nothing was being done to improve his living conditions. “Shoba is working in the bush and nothing is being done. It can’t be correct that the ANCYL provincial chairman is being marginalised. We want to see ANCYL leadership being empowered and deployed in strategic positions in his cabinet, government departments, municipalities and parastatals.”
He said Mathabatha was never available to engage with the ANCYL leadership.
“He doesn’t want to meet with us. He doesn’t like us and is never available when we want to meet him. He undermines the leadership of the ANC.”
During a press briefing, Selane said the ANCYL was shocked by the unfortunate pronouncements made by Mathabatha.
“We demanded answers from the provincial secretary and his deputy and were informed that they are still surprised by the decision and were not aware of it.
“Despite our attendance at ANC meetings, without fail there was no minute of any meeting whatsoever to prove that a decision was taken by either the PEC or NEC.”
The ANCYL said it would lodge a case with the party’s National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) and Integrity Committee to have Mathabatha charged with misconduct.
According to some provincial executive committee (PEC) members, the “premier league” known to be President Jacob Zuma’s supporters are gunning for Mathabatha because he is member of CR 17, an ANC faction supporting ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa to become Zuma’s successor.
“The battle has only begun, just watch the space,” said a PEC member.
Another member added Mathabatha will never be accepted because he was a compromise candidate after Zuma recalled former ANC provincial chairman Cassel Mathale, who was believed to be too close to Julius Malema.
“It was wrong for Zuma to disband Mathale’s leadership. Mathale was recalled because Zuma had a fall out with Malema who was Mathale’s strong ally. Mathale’s allies who are ANC PEC members are still holding a grudge,” PEC members said.
The premier was not available to comment, however, his spokesmann Kenny Mathivha said: “The ANCYL has a right to engage with the premier about their concerns.”
ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa urged the provincial leadership to resolve problems internally, not be subject to media scrutiny.
Election Bureau