Mathale supporters to recapture Limpopo

Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale, right, and ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe at the ANC's Mangaung conference in December. Picture: Bongiwe Mchunu

Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale, right, and ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe at the ANC's Mangaung conference in December. Picture: Bongiwe Mchunu

Published Mar 25, 2013

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Johannesburg - Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale’s supporters plan to court his main political rival, win him public sympathy and swell the ranks of ANC structures in a bid to recapture the party in the province.

As part of their strategy to wrestle control of the Limpopo ANC from President Jacob Zuma’s sympathisers, the Mathale camp planned to retain Dickson Masemola as his party deputy chairman and forward him as a candidate for the premiership after next year’s general election.

But the offer would be made only if Masemola was prepared to rejoin the Mathale faction.

The Star understands that the fightback plan was discussed again at a meeting of Mathale’s key lieutenants at a hotel in Magoebaskloof, near Tzaneen, on Friday night. The meeting was attended by MEC and mayors aligned to Mathale.

The newly appointed provincial task team has until December to hold a fresh conference, after the ANC national executive committee (NEC) dissolved Mathale’s provincial executive committee (PEC) last week.

A former PEC member and a Mathale loyalist remained confident he would bounce back.

“There are those who say they want Cassel as chairperson, but they will support Dickson only as deputy chairperson. Then we can agree to support Dickson as premier after the elections because these guys (Zuma supporters) clearly don’t want Mathale as premier,” said the PEC member, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mathale made his intentions to contest the chairmanship clear on the same day the ANC announced his PEC’s dissolution.

“Like any member, I have a right within the constitution of the ANC to elect somebody that I think is up to the task, but equally avail myself if the movement so desires.

“I have never said no to the movement before, and I won’t start today to say no to the ANC,” Mathale said during a media briefing in Polokwane on Sunday.

Mathale’s loyalists pinned their hopes on the potential rivalry in the anti-Mathale camp, if Masemola turned down their offer.

The source said while Masemola and former secretary Joe Maswanganyi were united behind Zuma’s re-election campaign, some still viewed Masemola with suspicion because they claimed he had opportunistically ditched Mathale and campaigned for Zuma ahead of the Mangaung conference in December.

“Maswanganyi will never agree to be led by Dickson because he regards himself to be (politically) senior to Dickson,” added the PEC member.

Unisa political analyst Professor Lesiba Teffo said the Mathale camp’s fightback strategy was unlikely to yield any positive results.

Endemic corruption and the collapse of governance in Limpopo had damaged Mathale and his PEC’s credibility for them to bounce back soon, he added.

The Star

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