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Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane’s campaign to lead the ANC in the province is beset by allegations of using state power and eccentric behaviour by some of her lobbyists, but she steams ahead unfazed.
Mtshweni-Tsipane is going head-to-head with acting ANC provincial chairperson Mandla Ndlovu for now, but indications are that there could be another contender as the candidates for other top five positions in the camps are still being discussed.
“For now, all we see are marriages of convenience,” said an insider.
Mtshweni-Tsipane, Mpumalanga’s first female premier, would be the first female chairperson should she win.
As the campaign intensifies, Mtshweni-Tsipane has been accused of settling political scores by not renewing the contract of department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs head Peter Nyoni.
Nyoni has been eyeing a premiership succession since before Deputy President David Mabuza left office.
He has now given up on his ambition to be chairperson and teamed up with Ndlovu to stand as secretary.
“Nyoni’s department has been well run and has received clean audits since he took over three years ago. How then does the premier explain not renewing the contract of an HOD [head of department] who has been doing so well?” asked a lobbyist in Nyoni’s camp.
Mtshweni-Tsipane has extended Nyoni’s contract for three months, until February next year, after it expired this month.
The provincial elective conference, the first to be contested since 2008 when Mabuza was elected chairperson, is scheduled to take place early next year.
When Mabuza was in charge from 2008 to 2017, he was elected uncontested in two conferences – in 2012 and 2016.
“Nyoni is being kept under check to see which side he leans towards in terms of the upcoming conference,” said the lobbyist.
Mtshweni-Tsipane’s spokesperson, Sibongile Mkani-Mpolweni, has denied the allegation.
“His contract has expired and he’s not the only HOD with a contract that is being renewed on a monthly basis. This has nothing to do with politics,” said Mkani-Mpolweni.
Another headache in Mtshweni-Tsipane’s camp has been chief lobbyist Ngrayi Ngwenya, whose eccentric behaviour has been rattling the camp.
A few weeks back, in Nkomazi, a businessman sharing a podium with Ngwenya was captured in a video recording throwing R100 notes at a crowd, an act which was condemned by many in the party.
Ngwenya was quick to circulate a video recording distancing himself from the incident and slamming the manner in which the cash was thrown around.
Said a Mtshweni-Tsipane campaigner: “How has that incident got anything to do with our campaign? It’s an individual who decided to do this and that’s not what we stand for.”
Though the initial number of nine contenders has been reduced to three, word on the ground is that the alliances that have been formed are still very shaky and they could still split before the conference takes place.
ANC insiders say Mabuza’s departure and his reluctance to groom a successor raised expectations among many senior comrades who felt that they deserved the position more than Mabuza and should get it now that he is gone.
Comrades close to Ndlovu’s camp have indicated that he may still not contest the chairperson position but take a chance on the secretary position, which he occupies until the next conference.
Nkangala regional chairperson Speedy Mashilo said insiders could be the ones contesting Mtshweni-Tsipane, who has the support of both President Cyril Ramaphosa and Mabuza, who supported her to be the first female premier.
Ndlovu, although he was Mabuza’s ally, has the support of ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule.
Mtshweni-Tsipane’s camp is, however, worried that the Ndlovu camp is in charge of branch logistics, which could suppress branches that support them.
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