She’s currently an ordinary member of the ANC while holding a powerful position in the provincial government.
Plans are afoot for Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtsweni to be inserted as a member of the ANC’s provincial executive committee when a PGC is held on 15 September 2018.
Her lobbyists say this will be in line with her position as the provincial government’s number one woman.
ANCYL deputy president Desmond Moela is also lobbied to become a PEC member but the Nkangala region wants “this issue negotiated” in order to have Mtsweni elected to the vacant post in the PEC.
Three vacant posts – one of provincial chairperson, another of deputy provincial chairperson and that of an additional member of the PEC – will be filled when the provincial general council takes place in three weeks’ time.
A powerful lobby group that wants current secretary Mandla Ndlovu to become the chair in order for Pat Ngomane to be the secretary and Speedy Mashilo the deputy chair is criticised for not including a woman for its choice of Moela.
This may see Moela stepping aside for Mtsweni to get the place of PEC member.
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Branches across the province have already started convening BGMs – nominating their favoured candidates for the three vacant seats left when DD Mabuza got elected the deputy president as well as Violet Siwela and Reginah Mhaule as NEC members during the party’s 54th national congress on 18 December 2017.
Sources say the Nkangala region, Mtsweni’s home region, is the one putting forward her name.
Mtsweni, in her 40s, once participated in the Nkangala ANCYL before being elevated to the Mpumalanga legislature in 2014 and months later appointed an MEC by then Premier Mabuza.
She got everyone talking this year February of how she is “favoured a lot” when Mabuza – who was on his way to be the country’s deputy president following the forced resignation of then President Jacob Zuma – hand-picked her to be the Premier of Mpumalanga.
She is also lobbied to become the provincial deputy secretary of the ANCYWL.
Nkangala ANC spokesman Sello Matshoga said the view that Mtsweni should be the PEC member is a regional executive committee decision.
“Yes as an REC we have resolved that we will support comrade Mandla as chair, comrade Speedy as deputy chair and comrade Pat Ngomane as the secretary because you will remember that when comrade Mandla becomes the chair there will be the vacant post of secretary. Then we said we will definitely support comrade Refilwe to be the PEC member,” said Matshoga.
(edited by ZK)
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