Limpopo politics getting dirty

The ANC in Limpopo had to abandon its nomination conference last Friday night after a group, believed to be supporters of President Jacob Zuma, stormed the venue and according to provincial spokesman, Makonde Mathivha, intimidated delegates. “It was terrifying,” he said on Saturday. “They wore T-shirts with the face of Zuma.”

Mathivha said Joe Maswanganye who was defeated at Limpopo’s provincial elective conference last year was part of the disruptive group. Maswanganye was replaced by current secretary Soviet Lekganyane.
Limpopo has battled to get the process of nomination started. Earlier this week, it had to postpone its nomination conference at the last minute to allow branches to complete branch general meetings.
They were given until Friday to do this.
Meanwhile The Star reported that President Jacob Zuma and other senior ANC leaders at Luthuli House could take over the Limpopo provincial nomination meeting that will be reconvened after one collapsed at the weekend.
According to The Star the aborted Limpopo provincial general council (PGC) was a special item on the agenda of the party’s national working committee (NWC) meeting on Monday that would decide whether to grant the anti-Zuma provincial executive committee (PEC) an extension to nominate leaders for Mangaung.
The NWC is the party’s highest operational structure.
It is understood that Luthuli House was considering appointing a national executive committee task team to run the Limpopo provincial council.
Sources said Luthuli House believed that the Limpopo conference had collapsed because the PEC still took instructions from former ANCYL president Julius Malema.
Malema has repeatedly denied that he had manipulated the Limpopo ANC leadership and the youth league.