“We differed robustly, but it was never personal.”
These are the words of outgoing ANC Limpopo chair Stan Mathabatha on his relationship with provincial secretary Reuben Madadzhe.
The two have had fractured relations during their tenure which comes to an end this weekend as the ANC in Limpopo elects new leadership.
Mathabatha, who steps down as one of the longest-serving chairpersons of a province, having led Limpopo for three terms, extended an olive branch to Madadzhe during his political report.
Mathabatha admitted he and Madadzhe disagreed greatly on some issues but said the tense relationship between the two was never personal.
He told delegates at the 11th ANC Limpopo conference in Polokwane that it was normal to have differing views in their space.
“Comrades, being by each other’s side does not mean you must agree on everything, no. Sometimes in terms of ideas, in terms of positions … we will differ. But it’s in the nature of the ANC. You are allowed to differ,” said Mathabatha.
Mathabatha told the delegates that in terms of what he called “dialectical materialism laws”, differing with each other was a stated law referred to as “unity and struggle of opposites”.
He said this law made it possible for him and Madadzhe to have heated disagreements in provincial executive committee (PEC) meetings but still be able to work together.
“Sometimes we would differ with Madadzhe in meetings and comrade Bioskop would panic and say, but ‘comrades you can’t differ like that’. No, we must differ robustly, but that has never made me to be personal to him or him to be personal to me,” said Mathabatha.
“After having differed like that, in the morning I would get a call from Madadzhe, or I would call him. Then we are fine, and we continue to build the organisation.”
Mathabatha said it was these differing views and the ability to not take it personally that had seen Limpopo emerging as the province contributing the highest number of electoral votes for the ANC in the 2024 national and provincial elections.
“Hence we are number one today in the country. Thank you comrade PS,” he said.
Madadzhe became a last-minute nominee for provincial secretary at the previous conference in Limpopo, replacing Danny Msiza who was earmarked for the position.
He was added on the slate of Mathabatha after Luthuli House sent a letter saying that Msiza had been disqualified from contesting in the conference owing to his case involving VBS Mutual Bank.
This directive came just days before the conference, leaving the slate without a provincial secretary candidate.
Mathabatha told of how he, Madadzhe and Msiza then decided to propose the name of Madadzhe as their candidate.
Madadzhe went on to be elected.
Mathabatha said that to date people don’t know that he and Madadzhe still share meals together.
TimesLIVE
Kgothatso Madisa
www.timeslive.co.za
