Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi. (File photo)
“Hogwash” is how Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has described the allegations that he is attempting to push health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko out of the government.
Nkomo-Ralehoko is preparing to challenge him for the ANC provincial chair position at the upcoming conference.
She and Lesufi are the two names most frequently mentioned as front-runners for the ANC Gauteng chair. Many insiders say Nkomo-Ralehoko will probably pose a serious challenge to Lesufi for the position.
Before the ANC Gauteng leadership was reconfigured last year and converted into a provincial task team (PTT), she served as Lesufi’s deputy chairperson.
Senior party insiders have accused Lesufi of attempting to place the Gauteng department of health under administration to weaken Nkomo-Ralehoko politically. At the same time, she has been accused of working to ensure that a faction perceived to be aligned to her won the Johannesburg regional conference.
Nkomo-Ralehoko served as chair of the dispute resolution committee for the Johannesburg regional conference and was accused of consistently ruling in favour of the faction that ultimately lost the conference. She has denied the allegations to the Mail & Guardian.
This week, Lesufi told the M&G that the claims against him were unfounded.
“There’s no such thing and my name must not be used for nefarious reasons,” he said.
It remains unclear when the provincial conference will take place.Some party members believe PTT’s term should be extended, arguing that the conference would probably further divide the province.
The ANC is grappling with allegations that the Johannesburg regional conference was rigged to favour the Loyiso Masuku faction that emerged victorious in December.
Both factions that contested the regional conference have threatened to approach the courts if the ANC’s ruling on the matter does not go their way.
There was concern in the party that proceeding to a provincial conference could deepen divisions because those who supported the winners of the Johannesburg conference were competing for positions at provincial level, a PTT member told the M&G.
“The problem now is that the same people who were fighting to ensure Loyiso won are now fighting amongst themselves. This will cause more divisions,” they said.
“What the Johannesburg conference has done is divide the ANC even further. We spoke about renewal and we failed to achieve that through the Johannesburg regional conference. If the ANC rules that we must re-run the conference, how will we campaign and convince voters when we can’t even agree on our own conferences?”
PTT members said that for now, it would be better for the Gauteng conference not to sit and for a new task team to be appointed instead.
Gauteng finance MEC Lebogang Maile, former provincial secretary TK Nciza and Tshwane regional chairperson Bonzo Modise are among the names being touted to contest the provincial secretary position.
Another PTT member said Modise stood a good chance of securing the position because Tshwane was the only region that emerged united from its regional conference.
“If you look at Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Sedibeng, all of them are divided. In Tshwane, they are united and that makes them a solid voting bloc,” the PTT member said.
This week, Tshwane regional secretary George Matjila said no decision had been taken to support Modise as the candidate for provincial secretary.
“We have not had that discussion yet. We are still engaging with different leaders and branches of the ANC. At the right time, we will be able to speak, based on their views,” Matjila said.
“For the first time in Tshwane, we can say we are united. We are engaging with other regions, and we are not big-headed. We do not see ourselves as being above others, even though other regions might have a particular view about our strength.
“When you go to a provincial conference, you must be considerate of other regions because we want leadership that can unite the entire province — leadership that can execute one of the key characteristics of our organisation, which is renewal.”
With local government elections looming, residents want a different ANC from the one they have been criticising, Matjila added.
“So the kind of leadership that emerges from that provincial conference should be leadership that inspires confidence in our communities,” he said.
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