The gloves have come off between supporters of suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule and President Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of the Limpopo ANC regional elective conferences.
The ANC in Limpopo announced last month three of its biggest regions will host their respective elective conferences soon.
The regions were Norman Mashabane, with 129 branches, Vhembe, with 127, and Sekhukhune, with 118.
But the main contest is in the Vhembe region, where Ramaphosa and Magashule’s backers are sweating it out for the top position on the regional executive committee.
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The region is known for two things – the base of the controversial VBS Mutual Bank and as the ancestral home of Soweto-born Ramaphosa.
The Vhembe district municipality invested R300 million in VBS, a move that saw the region divided down the middle in ensuing factional battles.
The Ramaphosa faction was led by ANC Limpopo provincial secretary Soviet Lekganyane, while the Magashule camp was under treasurer Danny Msiza, who is facing a step-aside order.
Battling for control of the region are Msiza’s foot soldier Makonde Mathivha and Lekganyane’s supporter Dowelani Nenguda.
Mathivha is former municipal manager for Thulamela local municipality, while Nenguda is Vhembe’s executive mayor.
ANC regional secretary Anderson Mudunungu said Vhembe will hold its conference before the end of this month. But he would not comment on the nomination processes, except to say: “Nomination processes of the ANC remain exactly that, of the ANC. It is not open for public consumption.”
But an executive committee member, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the wrangle for the control of the agricultural region would be a “walk in the park” for Nenguda.
“We are already smiling from ear to ear. This is a conference of numbers and we already have those numbers,” she said.
“Nenguda is just a rare breed we always wanted in the ANC.
“You will recall that two South African Municipal Workers’ Union members were recently assassinated in this region. Since then, it became sharply divided.
“It is Nenguda who has the rare miraculous political will to make sure their lives did not go in vain.”
She said Nenguda already had numbers both in the Makhado and Musina sub-regions. Makhado has 38 branches and only 12 successfully made it to the branch general meetings.
Nenguda won eight and the remaining four nominated in favour of Mathivha.