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Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza’s imminent cabinet reshuffle will give the country a glimpse into who is rallying behind his ambition to get a national position in the ANC.
The reshuffle could have taken place already, but was delayed because Mabuza was to attend a national executive committee (NEC) meeting held to assess the ANC’s performance at the local government elections.
Mabuza’s name was punted a few weeks ago by the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) as a potential contender for the ANC’s deputy presidency.
His foot soldiers are already traversing the country and lobbying support from other provinces for his candidature. ANCYL president Collen Maine and his deputy, Desmond Moela, have publicly confirmed and endorsed the campaign.
Mpumalanga ANC secretary Mandla Ndlovu confirmed that the cabinet reshuffle would happen this week after the NEC meeting.
Two cabinet vacancies were created when two MECs were redeployed to municipalities.
Social Development MEC Nomsa Mtsweni was appointed mayor of Thembisile Hani Local Municipality in KwaMhlanga, while Public Works, Roads and Transport MEC Dumisile Nhlengethwa was deployed as speaker of Msukaligwa Local Municipality in Ermelo.
Ndlovu denied that these redeployments were demotions, and said they were aimed at strengthening municipalities.
He could not be drawn into commenting about the replacements of the MECs.
However, a provincial executive committee member, who asked not to be named because the announcement should be made by Mabuza, told City Press that five MECs, including Mtsweni and Nhlengethwa, had already been told that they were going to be axed.
The other three MECs who will lose their jobs will most likely be Andries Gamede (agriculture), Refilwe Mtsweni (cooperative governance and traditional affairs) and Violet Siwela (human settlements).
Incoming MECs will reflect and affirm the peace that Mabuza has made with the alliance partners, and also include the ANCYL, which lobbied for 40% representation in government positions.
Ndlovu confirmed that Fidel Mlombo, provincial Cosatu secretary, and former Albert Luthuli mayor Busi Shiba would be sworn in as legislature members.
Sources told City Press that these two were destined for cabinet positions.
ANC sources said that the incoming MECs would probably to be former ANCYL provincial secretary Sasekani Manzini, ANC chief whip Vusi Mkhatshwa, Nkangala ANC regional chairperson Speedy Mashilo and legislature member Pat Ngomane.
SA Communist Party Mpumalanga secretary Bonakele Majuba, however, said that the alliance had not yet been consulted about the cabinet reshuffle.
“We were consulted about municipalities. Maybe we’re still going to be approached about the possible cabinet position,” Majuba said.
Mabuza has, however, made his intentions clear that he needs support from everybody, and has started including members of the alliance and even appointing a rival, Peter Nyoni, and Nyoni’s wife, Jester Sidel, to senior positions.
Nyoni’s ANC membership was suspended just before a provincial elective conference last year because he was linked to a disgruntled faction – the Save Mpumalanga ANC – which tried to convince the party’s NEC to remove Mabuza and reverse a provincial general council decision that endorsed his unopposed re-election as Mpumalanga chairperson for a third term.
Nyoni was an ANC provincial executive committee member at the time. The windows of his two vehicles – a Toyota Hilux and an Isuzu – were smashed with bricks at his home in Valencia Park outside Mbombela as tensions over the conference simmered.
The incident happened a day after the Save Mpumalanga ANC marched to the party’s provincial offices on August 1 to complain about Mabuza’s alleged “divisive” and “autocratic” leadership style, fraud and the violation of internal democratic processes intended to purge Mabuza’s rivals.
After the vandalism, Nyoni said: “I expected this and I think this incident was aimed at intimidating me because they stole nothing. I hope that whoever has issues with me will deal with their insecurities.”
Nyoni is now in Mabuza’s camp. On Thursday, the cabinet appointed Nyoni to head the Mpumalanga cooperative governance and traditional affairs department. He was director for municipal capacity building.
Meanwhile, Sidel is about to be inaugurated as Ehlanzeni District Municipality executive mayor. She was a speaker of Mbombela city council.
The fallout between Mabuza and Nyoni started in 2013, before the Save Mpumalanga ANC was formed.
Nyoni was one of the executives in the human settlements department, alongside former provincial ANC deputy chairperson David Dube and National Assembly member Thomas Bongo, who Mabuza removed after complaining that they failed to deliver RDP houses because they focused too much on politics.
Nyoni could not be drawn into his past political rivalry with Mabuza.
He told City Press that he appreciated the collective provincial ANC leadership, in particular Mabuza.
