The African National Congress (ANC) structures in Limpopo said they are confused by the party’s provincial chairperson’s unexplained decision to step aside as chairperson.
This after Stanley Mathabatha, the former Premier of Limpopo and current Deputy Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, wrote a letter to the party’s National Executive Committee of the ANC through the party’s Secretary General Fikile Mbalula requesting to step aside from the party.
In the letter seen by Newsnote, Mathabatha cited “concerns over misconduct and a departure from the party’s core values during regional conferences in the Vhembe and Waterberg regions.”
The ANC Youth League spokesperson in Limpopo Abia Makola told YOUFM Newshour that as the league they reject Mathabatha’s letter to step aside, calling it a betrayal of the party structures in the province.
“If you look at his letter to the national office, he is just saying ‘I remain as the provincial chairperson of the ANC but at this current state, I cannot continue with my day-to-day task of being a provincial chair.’
Hence, we are calling on him to rather pen a resignation letter and completely resign from all other responsibilities assigned to him by the organisation of being an MP and Deputy Minister because we believe that he cannot want to be choosy or selective on how to handle the issues of the ANC.
If he feels like his integrity is being compromised and he want to step aside from the ANC, he must do the same with all positions he is currently holding,” said Makola.
In addition, Makola said that Mathabatha’s request is misplaced, especially using the step aside rule of the party as an excuse to relinquish his position.
“As the ANCYL we reject this move because the step aside policy of the ANC is not made for people who feel like they want to relinquish their position but it is mainly made for people who are charged with corruption to step aside for them to clear their names so that they can be able to return to the organisation should they be found not guilty.
So, with the move of the provincial chair to ask the national office to step aside, as the ANC Youth league we view this letter as a betrayal and a way of running away from the responsibility bestowed upon him by ANC structure in Limpopo,” explained the spokesperson.
Makola said that the league is disappointed in how Mathabatha handled internal challenges bedevilling the party in the province.
“Remember Comrade Chupu (Stan Mathabatha’s political name) when he was brought back to the province in 2013, the province had political and administrative challenges in government, and he managed to stabilize it.
He did that with distinction, as a tried and tested cadre of the ANC.
Hence, we view his letter to the Secretary General as a shocking move because we knew that as a tried and tested member of the ANC whenever there are challenges that he feels are anti-ANC he should raise those challenges inside the structures of the ANC,” remarked Makola.
Meanwhile, the communities in Limpopo hold Mathabatha in high regard for his dedication in service delivery when he took over as the Premier from 2013 to 2024.
His tenure was characterized by efforts to stabilize the provincial administration and promote inclusive growth.
