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Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha has emulated President Jacob Zuma by reshuffling his cabinet barely two months ahead of the ANC elective conference in December.
But unlike Zuma, who recently axed Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande, Mathabatha, who is a self-proclaimed supporter of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, moved or demoted his political rivals rather than firing them.
Also unlike Zuma, Mathabatha informed the officials of the ANC top five in the province about his Cabinet reshuffle.
The reshuffle wasn’t contested – despite some dramatic changes, which saw the relegation of Zuma’s supporters.
These included former agriculture MEC, Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana, who was shifted to social development.
Mokaba-Phukwana, who is the sister of the late ANC Youth League president Peter Mokaba, was replaced by her predecessor, former social development MEC Joyce Mashamba.
Another Zuma loyalist who suffered a major demotion was ANC deputy provincial secretary Makoma Makhurupetje, who was shifted from cooperative governance, human settlement and traditional affairs to transport and community safety MEC.
In Limpopo, the departments where Makhurupetje and Mokaba-Phukwana were, were regarded as the lowest departments because they weren’t generating economic power in the province but dealt with mostly administrative issues.
Former Public Works MEC Jerry Ndou, also deputy provincial chairperson of the ANC and a strong backer of Ramaphosa, succeeded Makhurupetje – the biggest promotion in this Cabinet reshuffle.
The former MEC for transport and community safety, Nandi Ndalane, was also rewarded for her loyalty and parachuted in to be public works MEC.
The rest of the Cabinet was left unchanged: MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture Onnica Moloi, Treasury MEC Rob Tooley, Education MEC Ishmael Kgetjepe and Economic Development and Tourism MEC Seaparo Sekwati.
This reshuffle ruffled the feathers of the ANC Youth League in Limpopo who called for Mathabatha’s axing.
David “Che” Selane, the youth league’s newly re-elected provincial secretary, said: ‘‘It is very clear that Mathabatha is a factionalist who is purging Zuma’s supporters and protecting his friends. Comrades Makoma and Mmapula have been sacked for speaking the truth to power. We are calling for Mathabatha’s axing and the provincial executive committee must remove this leader who is factional.”
Selane also said Mathabatha was the worst premier and ANC chairperson who failed to unite the ANC in the province.
He blasted him for announcing that Ramaphosa must succeed Zuma.
“The PEC of the ANC in Limpopo never resolved to support Ramaphosa. This clearly shows that he is ill-disciplined and he must be taken to the disciplinary committee and be dismissed. He is the worst leader, who failed to unite ANC members in the province. He is now sowing more divisions. Unlike us as the youth league, we reserve the right to pronounce Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma because the league’s PEC took a resolution. Therefore Mathabatha must keep quiet because the ANC Limpopo PEC never reached that stage as yet,’’ Selane said.
He was also backed by ANC provincial secretary Nocks Seabi, a supporter of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who urged Mathabatha to refrain from making such pronouncements in public.
“I’m calling for ANC members to be disciplined. Mathabatha’s pronouncement on Ramaphosa is not the decision of the ANC PEC. The PEC has not taken that resolution on anybody. That process has not yet been exhausted as yet. We must refrain from public spats and focus on rebuilding and uniting the ANC,” Seabi said.
Spokesperson Kenny Mathivha said: “It is the premier’s prerogative to reshuffle his Cabinet. He was very clear that this change will improve the lives of the people in the province. The premier also has a right to support anybody politically.”
According to Mathabatha’s allies who spoke anonymously he will reshuffle his Cabinet again after the December ANC elective conference should Ramaphosa emerge as ANC President.
“He should have removed his detractors who were criticising and defying him in public like Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana and Makoma Makhurupetje. There were also spoiled potatoes even from his camp like Moloi following Mapungubwe challenge,’’ said PEC members who are Mathabatha’s cronies.
Political analyst and law expert Professor Shadrack Gutto said Zuma set a precedent with his reshuffling.
“You can’t reshuffle your cabinet when you are left with only few months before the ANC elective conference. What changes are you going to make within that short period of time? He has emulated Zuma, which is the wrong precedent, even if he didn’t recall his political rivals but rather opted for musical-chairs changes of his cabinet.’’
