Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko says she has been told by God that she will become the next ANC Gauteng provincial chair as the battle for the party’s top position heats up.
Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo are gearing up for conferences that are crucial to who becomes the next ANC president.
Nkomo-Ralehoko is going up against Panyaza Lesufi in Gauteng, while in the Eastern Cape, chair Oscar Mabuyane is seeking re-election against provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi. In Limpopo, Peter Mokaba regional chair John Mpe and current premier Phophi Ramathuba are at loggerheads for the provincial chair post.
All these conferences are scheduled for late March and will have a significant bearing on the national conference in 2027, where Paul Mashatile, the current deputy president; secretary-general Fikile Mbalula; National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza; and possibly billionaire Patrice Motsepe will be contesting to succeed Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president.
While Lesufi is eyeing re-election, which would work as his launchpad to run for the deputy president position in 2027, Nkomo-Ralehoko has proven to be a stumbling block, telling congregants at the Blessings in Faith Apostolic Church that she has it on good authority — directly from God — that she will become the provincial chair.
“I’ve never been so confident like I am now,” she said. “I can see myself leading this province. I know that I am going to get it, because it’s not mine; it has been designated by God. I have been told by God that ‘this one belongs you’.”
I’ve never been so confident like I am now. I can see myself leading this province. I know that I am going to get it, because it’s not mine; it has been designated by God. I have been told by God that ‘this one belongs you.
Nkomo-Ralehoko is Mbalula’s ally, with Lesufi backing Mashatile.
While Lesufi appears to have the backing of critical regions such as Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Sedibeng, Nkomo-Ralehoko enjoys the backing of Tshwane as well as a significant number in the West Rand.
Lesufi is also teaming up with political heavyweights in Gauteng, such as Lebogang Maile and Thembinkosi “TK” Nciza, who are going to be on the same slate.
Although there has been confusion about the position the two are vying for, sources say there is no question about them working together.
Both Maile and Nciza are said to have been aiming for the post of provincial secretary, which unsettled a lot of their supporters, who said this would be divisive.
However, it appears that either Maile or Nciza could opt for the provincial treasurer position, with a source saying the posters for the provincial secretary post were released merely to test the waters.
“The issue of Maile and TK was just to test the ground. They are fine, they are working well together with PL [Lesufi]. It was just to test the ground because after the reconfiguration you don’t know who has left, who has remained, so we want to have everyone in the kraal,” said a senior leader in their camp.
“Because you remove Maile, then his people leave, you remove TK and his people leave, so it was just to test the kraal so that all the cows can be in one kraal, then we will have discussions. We are having discussions already.”
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Cape, the fallout between Mabuyane and Ngcukayitobi has thrown a spanner in the works in a case of friends who have become foes.
Ngcukayitobi’s campaign, however, is going to face the difficult task of convincing regions and branches that have stood behind Mabuyane for two terms to jump ship.
Those close to Mabuyane say they would prefer him to return as provincial chair, as it would be easier to lobby for him to be one of the national officials in 2027, as either deputy president or national chair.
“Diya [Mabuyane’s clan name] had suggested that we should look for other comrades to succeed him since he is contesting for national, but comrades said it’s naturally impractical and impossible that he would want to go out of the NEC [as provincial chair] but still want to go back to the NEC [as an official] because discussions about conferences and dynamics are in formal structures and lobby groups. So we said, ‘You can’t leave a formal structure and sit at home waiting for the national conference,’” said an insider.
In Limpopo, the dynamics have become so tense that the party in the province is split in half. So bad are relations between the factions of Mpe and Ramathuba that insults are being hurled on a daily basis.
Both Mpe and Ramathuba enjoy significant support in the province and are also both close allies of Ramaphosa, whose endorsement would determine their fate.
Ramaphosa’s close confidants, Maropene Ramokgopa and Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, who are ministers in the Presidency, are also divided between Mpe and Ramathuba.
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