Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba has been elected unopposed as the first female provincial chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) in Limpopo.
Her election follows a ruling by the High Court in Polokwane, which dismissed an urgent application to interdict the provincial elective conference held this weekend.
A unity slate reportedly emerged at the ANC Limpopo conference, with all candidates nominated at the branch level elected without opposition.
Ramathuba replaces outgoing provincial chairperson Stanley Mathabatha.
She was elected in the early hours of Saturday, at the Polokwane Cricket Club.
Polokwane Municipality mayor John Mpe was elected unopposed as deputy chairperson.
Reuben Madadzhe was re-elected as provincial secretary, also unopposed.
Pule Shai was elected deputy provincial secretary, and Eddie Maila as provincial treasurer.
The province’s top five officials are:
1. Chairperson – Dr Phophi Ramathuba
2. Deputy chairperson – John Mpe
3. Provincial secretary – Reuben Madadzhe
4. Deputy secretary – Pule Shai
5. Treasurer – Eddie Maila
The five ANC regions in Limpopo reportedly intervened ahead of the conference to prevent a contested race between Ramathuba and Mpe.
Regional leaders reportedly encouraged the two to agree on a unity slate to avoid further divisions in the province.
Ramathuba takes office at a critical time.
Her immediate task will be to consolidate leadership, manage internal competition and strengthen unity as the ANC prepares for the 2026 local government elections.
Limpopo was the only ANC province to secure more than 70% support in the 2024 national and provincial elections.
The conference began on Friday afternoon after the High Court struck an urgent application to stop it from the roll.
More than 1,000 delegates from Limpopo’s five regions attended, gathering at a dome set up at the Polokwane Cricket Club in the city centre.
The ANC welcomed the court ruling, saying it allowed the conference to proceed.
The application was brought by ANC branch member Nhlanhla Basil Mabasa, who challenged the legitimacy of a digital device used to verify attendance at a branch general meeting in Ward 10 in the Collins Chabane region.
Mabasa asked the court to halt the conference until he received documents related to the November meeting, including attendance registers, nomination forms and records of delegates.
He also requested 10 days to file a supplementary affidavit after receiving the documents.
Mabasa argued that discrepancies in attendance figures made the verification process unreliable.
He claimed the electronic system stopped working after scanning 19 members, yet the final report showed 111 members were verified electronically.
He said an additional 67 members were recorded manually, bringing the total attendance to 86. However, a preliminary report dated December 22, 2025 reflected 111 electronically verified members.
Mabasa said the figures were inconsistent and unexplained, raising concerns about the credibility of the process.
He argued that the verification outcome was irrational, unreliable and procedurally flawed, and that relying on such data would be unlawful.
IOL Politics
Simon Majadibodu
iol.co.za
