• Norman Mashabane ANC regional secretary, Goodman Mitileni, is challenging incumbent Pule Shayi for the position of chairperson.
• Some branches said Shayi’s quest for a third term would divide the ANC and destabilize service delivery. 
• They insisted Mitileni was the best person to take the region to greater heights and solve the current water crisis.
• The Limpopo region is expected to hold its elective conference anytime from next month.

SOME ANC branches and leaders in Limpopo have vowed to block Norman Mashabane (Mopani) regional chairperson Pule Shayi’s quest for a third term, saying it would divide the party and destabilize service delivery in the district municipality. 

Instead, they said they wanted regional secretary Goodman Mitileni to take over because he was the best person to take Mopani to greater heights and solve the ongoing water crisis and other service delivery challenges. 

Speaking to African Times after the Giyani Sub-regional political gathering at Thomo Village on Sunday, known as the “Cadres’ Forum and Political Lecture”, some ANC activists accused Shayi of presiding over a water crisis in the Mopani District Municipality (MDM). 

They said the long-standing crisis was proof Shayi had “overstayed his welcome” and had nothing more to offer as the party’s regional head. Addressing the forum in a packed Thomo Community Hall, Mitileni urged the party’s branches and structures to be at the forefront of community struggles and respond to service delivery challenges.

Notable ANC leaders who attended the forum included regional executive committee (REC) member and Giyani Municipality ANC Chief Thomas Makondo, Tzaneen Mayor Gerson Phetole Molapisane, Ba-Phalaborwa Mayor Merriam Malatji, former Giyani Mayor Dorris Mathebula, MPL David “Che” Selane, former  Letaba Mayor Peter Matlou, Maripe Mangena, former Limpopo SACP Chairperson Moses Tembe, Silas Makhubele and Terrence Kgaogelo “TK” Mohale. 

Mitileni and his fellow comrades started by donating shoes to the three local schools and honouring the party’s Ward 17 for having the best election performance in the Giyani subregion, with 92 percent. Once the side issues were over, they proceeded to the hall for the main event. 

Mitileni told the party’s rank and file to root themselves in their communities and earn the right to be called “leaders of society.” He also thanked ANC members for running a successful 2024 election campaign, touched on service delivery challenges in the region, and called for unity and women’s empowerment.   

In an interview after delivering the speech, Mitileni said he sought to unpack the meaning and implications of the recent general elections outcome for Mopani, among others. 

“The ANC must be united especially during this difficult moment that we are going through. For us to achieve this, the ANC must be strengthened. We must find ourselves an expression in the economy because the history of our history has always been to liberate black people in general and Africans in particular. But, it was always about transforming the economy for the benefit of our people. We then also indicated that we must find expression in the ideological battle of ideas because whatever gains we are able to make can always be undermined and misinterpreted if we can’t be able to defend them at that level,” Mitileni said. 

He added that party members should conduct themselves in a way that justifies the ANC’s character as a leader of society. 

“The ANC has characterized itself as the leader of society, and therefore, that leadership role should be earned. It is not decreed. We must always interact with the challenges that people face on a day-to-day basis. Be the first to respond, and be the first to provide guidance whether at ideological, economic or political level,” Mitileni emphasized. 

The former Limpopo SACP Chairperson and MPL also called for strengthening ANC branches as “the vehicles and only weapon in the hands of our people.” Delegates who spoke to African Times said Mitileni’s speech resonated with them and proved he was the right person to succeed Shayi.

They said they were confident that their camp, known as “Straight Line” would prevail against Shayi’s camp, known as “Third Term”. 

Israel Mohatli, Lemowa Branch chairperson in the Mark Shope (Tzaneen) subregion, said Mitileni’s speech “made sense”. He said it better explained the importance of deepening the work and understanding of ANC branches in communities, and that could be achieved.  

“We have lost touch with communities on the ground. But as the ANC, if we have programmes that are rooted in communities, we would be able to navigate the problems we are facing now including dropping percentages during the elections,” he said.  

Mohatli said his branch “aligned” itself with Mitileni’s camp because he was the right person to take Mopani forward. 

“We align ourselves with Goodman’s campaign. We don’t have a problem with Pule per se, but we think he has overstayed his welcome. We need change. Having him come back for the third time is problematic for the organization in the sense that it takes back to the problems we had in 2007 when Thabo Mbeki wanted a third term as president of the ANC and comrades said, ‘it can’t be’. His intentions would create two centres of power, where you find the ANC having a president who is not a president of the country’. It would be difficult for decision-making,” Mohatli said. 

He added: “If he is re-elected he would be the chairperson of the ANC in the region and not the mayor of the district. I think it may cause some contradictions, cost the ANC a great deal and affect service delivery. Not that Pule is not capable.”

“Remember, you don’t lead the ANC because you are the best amongst us. You lead because you are given a responsibility. At a particular point, other leaders must also be given the privilege to lead. You have been given a first term, and a second term, what programme did he not finish that he can only finish if given a third term? There is no such?”. 

Makondo, a Mopani ANC REC member, said he backed Mitileni because basic service delivery failures presided over by mayors like Shayi had cost the ANC electoral support. 

“Our communities are unable to have constant water supply, and that is the responsibility of Mopani District Municipality. If you drive around the streets, our roads are riddled with potholes. The leadership that is leading this municipality is failing to maintain our road infrastructure. So, we expect the leadership that is going to be elected to be hands-on. The message that came from the cadres’ forum was a resounding message, which said branches of the ANC must resume to take part in issues of service delivery. They must not wait for ward councillors and concerned groups to raise issues. Mitileni dealt with those issues and we appreciate it,” said Makondo. 

He said other Mitileni supporters “stand for change and continuity”. 

“We expect the conference to elect Comrade Goodman Mitileni, the regional secretary of Norman Mashabane to be the chair of our region, deputized by Comrade Gerson Molapisane, and we expect that particular conference to elect Comrade TK Mohale as secretary, who would be deputized by Comrade Tsheko Musolwa, who is the current mayor of Maruleng, and we want Comrade Merriam Malatji to be elected treasurer. So, that is our top five,” he added. 

Maruleng Mayor Tsheko Musolwa appears in both slates. The Maruleng subregional strongman declined to comment on the regional conference campaigns. 

The other slate has Shayi as chairperson, Norman Mashabane REC member and MDM spokesperson Odas Ngobeni as deputy chairperson, Musolwa as secretary, Dagma Mamanyoha as deputy secretary, and Giyani Mayor Thandi Zitha as treasurer. 

Shayi declined to comment on suggestions that Mitileni should replace him as Norman Mashabane ANC chairperson, saying such discussions were premature. 

“The NEC (national executive committee) of the ANC has not yet decided on when conferences are given a blessing to sit. Therefore, to talk about cadres forums, who is third term and straight line, who is contesting is premature for me. What I know is that our term of office has ended. The PEC (provincial executive committee) dissolved and converted us into an RTT (regional task team). Therefore, for any work that we do towards a conference, we take a directive from the province and national. That’s all,” Shayi said. 

He referred further enquiries to Norman Mashabane ANC spokesperson Peter Ngobeni, who rejected suggestions that Shayi was a spent force whose third-term ambitions would divide the party. 

Ngobeni said assertions that Shayi’s third term would negatively affect the Mopani District Municipality were “disingenuous” and politically motivated. He accused Mitileni’s lobbyists of conflating the party and state. 

Ngobeni said Nkakareng Rakgoale served as MDM mayor when Seaparo Sekwati was chairperson without any divisions and service delivery issues.

The same thing happened in Vhembe when Florence Radzilani was mayor and Tshitereke Matibe chairperson, he added.  

“Number one, it’s not true that the regional chair has served two terms as the executive mayor. Actually, this is his first term. He came in just to complete the term of Nkakareng. Number two, it is not true what they call two centres of power is a problem. When Florence was Executive Mayor, Tshitereke was the chair. The situation is the same even today. I am sure you have never received complaints around the instability either of the ANC structures, the ANC itself or the ANC caucus,” Ngobeni said.

He added that complaints about Shayi’s third term were meant to de-campaign him. 

“Any argument that suggests that his candidature must be disregarded precisely because of his deployment in the municipality is disingenuous. You are talking about an ANC-led municipality. It is not a Pule-led municipality. So, it doesn’t matter who comes in as mayor.”

According to an ANC road map, the Norman Mashabane regional conference is expected to be held from September 27 to 29. However, Ngobeni said the final date would be confirmed once Luthuli House opened the membership portal and gave final clearance. 

At least 129 branches from five subregions are expected to attend the conference. Mark Shope (Tzaneen), the biggest subregion, is expected to send 35 branches, followed by Giyani with 31, Letaba with 30, Ba-Phalaborwa with 19, and Maruleng with 14.