The ANC Limpopo provincial conference is in limbo after the court reserved its judgment in the urgent application seeking to interdict the sitting.
The Limpopo high court is expected to deliver its judgment on Friday morning, which could have severe implications as delegates are set to start registering for the conference.
The conference, which is mostly expected to be uncontested after the two warring factions smoked a peace pipe, is being interdicted by a disgruntled ANC branch member who has questioned the legitimacy of the digital device that was used to verify the branch general meeting in ward 10 of Collins Chabane region that decided on the delegates that would represent the branch at the conference.
While the two factions have agreed to work together, with Limpopo premier Phophi Ramathuba expected to be elected uncontested as provincial chair with Polokwane mayor John Mpe as deputy, they will face a challenge should the court grant the interdict.
But several ANC heavyweights say they are confident that the interdict will be thrown out, and that the conference will go ahead.
“They will lose these ones who applied, the conference will proceed,” said a source in the ANC leadership.
The legal action emanates from a branch member in the Collins Chabane region, Nhlahla Basil Mabasa, who wants the court to halt the conference at the eleventh hour until he has been furnished with all documents related to the branch meeting that took place in his ward in November last year.
He wants access to attendance registers, nomination forms, delegates’ nomination records and correspondence relating to the submission or recognition of branch structures.
He also requested the court to give him 10 days upon receiving these documents to submit a supplementary affidavit in the case.
He says this is important because it is a dispute that directly impacts the provincial conference as it relates to the selection of delegates.
Mabasa claims that there was an inconsistency between the reports that were produced for the meeting on how many people were in attendance.
According to Mabasa, the electronic device that was used to digitally verify members ceased working after verifying only 19 members, but the final report shows that it scanned in 111 people.
In the circumstances, the verification outcome is irrational, unreliable and procedurally defective, and any reliance on such data is unlawful.
— Nhlahla Basil Mabasa, who has launched the court challenge
The member verification process was then done manually, capturing a further 67 members bringing the total attendance to 86.
“However, the preliminary verification report dated 22 December 2025 reflects that 111 members were electronically verified,” Mabasa says in his founding affidavit.
“This figure is inconsistent with both the electronic verification process (which was interrupted at 19 members) and the total physical attendance of 86 members.”
Mabasa says he received no explanation for the discrepancy and has no idea where the additional 25 members came from.
“In the circumstances, the verification outcome is irrational, unreliable and procedurally defective, and any reliance on such data is unlawful,” he said.
He says he was forced to approach the court after his attempts to resolve the matter internally in the party were fruitless as secretaries from the region, province and national would not entertain his complaint.
“Despite these repeated escalations at all levels of the organisation, no effective internal remedy has been provided,” charged Mabasa.
“The failure of the respondents to address the dispute timeously has rendered internal remedies ineffective, particularly in light of the imminent provincial conference scheduled for March 27-29.”
Meanwhile, sources say they are confident that the conference will run smoothly and it is likely to end on Saturday, as it is likely to be uncontested.
They believe Ramathuba and Mpe will stick to the agreement and not break rank by deciding to contest each other from the conference floor.
“They are becoming very close, which is very surprising, but it’s good. Whether it’s a forced thing on both sides or not, they are closing ranks. For now, we are happy with what we are seeing,” said a highly placed senior ANC leader.
Kgothatso Madisa
www.sundaytimes.timeslive.co.za
