David Mabuza’s Mpumalanga detractors are accused of rushing to power in order to enrich themselves

The factions are accused of doing anything in their power to undermine processes, including “purging” BEC leaders who don’t support them and threatening to fire them from municipal jobs, in order just to be in charge after the upcoming elective conference.

ANC deputy president David Mabuza’s detractors in Mpumalanga have been accused of being “political vultures”, doing all they can in order to be in power and enrich themselves from government resources.

The factions are said to not be interested in the economic development of Mpumalanga for mass job creation or the use of government resources to change the lives of the people of the province.

“These are political vultures who claim that they are getting rid of Mabuza but ask yourself other than that what do they say they will do for the poor?

“Study each and every person in the factions and tell me if the society doesn’t know who they are and how greedy they are in their own communities and how they have tarnished the image of the ANC with their selfish mindset of lining up their pockets with slates that seem to be ascending to power,” Ngci lobbyist David ‘Mdavu’ Nhlabathi has said this week.

He was reacting to a report that Mpumalanga was now turning against the once powerful and enigmatic Barberton leader, saying Mabuza is still rooted amongst the ANC branches and is popular in the province.

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Nhlabathi said in the past months they had “certain individuals” aligning themselves to Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, advising her to leave the Mabuza-backed Ngci camp – not for a genuine purpose to develop Mpumalanga but to “line up their pockets for an opportunity to self enrichment”.

“These are opportunists who have tasted money and who are currently repositioning themselves to continue accessing it, not that they want the ANC to be renewed or for people to get services delivered to them.

“These are clueless individuals who are inspired by comrade DD’s mind and programmes to deliver services to the poor but who think they can now replace him in that type of way. Ask yourself what programmes do those comrades driving those expensive cars and who support the Premier have for the poor other than saying they no longer support comrade DD? It’s none and it’s all about themselves, their families and the future of their kids. Nothing else,” Nhlabathi said, adding that Mabuza is better because he was constantly concerned about poor people and spoke about using state resources to develop Mpumalanga, “which he did”.

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Nhlabathi said these are leaders that comrades know in their communities and their “interests can’t change today but claim to be moving away from him when it suits their personal ambitions”.

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City Press the past weekend reported that the ANC factions in Mpumalanga were considering a possible coalition that will see them negotiating and reaching an agreement amongst each other on the top 5 leadership composition ahead of the much-awaited 13th provincial elective conference in May 2021.

The sunday weekly reported that all the factions in Mpumalanga were not willing to negotiate positions with the Ngci camp because of its relations to Mabuza.

The factions that claim independence from Mabuza are the Focus camp of acting provincial chairman Mandla Ndlovu, Tsipane’s newly-founded RMT21, former deputy chair David Dube-led DDD21, deputy tourism minister Fish Mahlalela’s Mayibuye and acting government director-general Peter Nyoni’s TPN.

When Tsipane left the Ngci camp late last year owing to a fall-out between herself and Mabuza, the camp went to fetch Nkangala district municipal speaker Lucky Ndinisa to become its face.

Nhlabathi is listed as the provincial deputy chairperson on the new Ngci slate, with former finance MEC Pat Ngomane as provincial secretary and Bohlabela sub-region’s Charles Ndlovu as their preferred deputy provincial secretary.

ALSO SEE: Sibusiso Sgudla speaks about his support for Refilwe Tsipane

It’s not clear who they want for the position of treasurer after safety and security MEC Vusi Shongwe left the Ngci camp to join Tsipane in her newly formed RMT21 camp. 

Shongwe had been punted as the Ngci camp’s preferred provincial treasurer, spokeswoman Sasekani Manzini as the provincial deputy secretary and cooperative governance MEC Busi Shiba as deputy chair but all of them, including Ermelo strongman Sibusiso ‘The Great’ Sgudla, went to form part of Tsipane’s anti-Mabuza camp. Tsipane’s camp is also joined by Nyoni, who for many years was a staunch critic of Mabuza.

Nhlabathi labelled Mabuza’s detractors as his “wannabes”.

ALSO SEE: Lindiwe Ntshalintshali opposed to Ace Magashule being ‘forced’ to step aside

“These are comrades who are Mabuza’s legacy and who were made by him, and who wished they can enter his shoes but nothing will happen, and the danger is that they will begin to cause instability in the government ad they will begin to fight the current Premier if she doesn’t give them what they aim to get for supporting her,” he said.

He said as the Ngci camp they rally behind Gert Sibande deputy chair Vusi ‘Sgemegeme’ Motha for the position of regional chairman in that region as well as Chrissiesmeer ANC leader and former ANCYL regional chair Khulani Nhlabathi to be the regional secretary.

Nhlabathi said as campaigns go they are currently faced with a crisis of the Focus camp purging comrades in the branches who support the Ngci camp, for example removing the branch secretary and get the deputy to continue the work.

But acting provincial secretary Lindiwe Ntshalintshali who belongs to the Focus camp said it was a lie secretaries were being removed, saying the only matter she knows of is the issue of realignment of the branches that were inflated during Mabuza’s term as chair, contravening the ANC constitution of one ward, one branch.

Another Ngci supporter, Sipho Siwela, said all of the leaders in Mpumalanga’s anti-Mabuza camps, including Ndlovu, Gert Sibande chairman Muzi Chirwa, provincial treasurer Vusi Shongwe, spokeswoman Sasekani Manzini, Nyoni and Dube, began their rise in politics from the year 2008 when Mabuza took over as the provincial chairman and subsequently the Premier of Mpumalanga.

“They are all the deputy president’s legacy and if some people say they want to remove his legacy, what are they actually saying,” Siwela said.

Meanwhile, the ANC in Mpumalanga has announced that they will suspend each and every person involved in the violence that led to the deaths and injuries of comrades while they were holding a BGM the past weekend.

“We cannot say as the ANC we are happy that eHlanzeni can continue to be this violent,” Ntshalintshali said Wednesday this week 14 April 2021

(edited by ZK)

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