New Fezile Dabi leadership endorses Magashule

As predicted, the group openly aligned to Free State ANC chairperson Premier Ace Magashule has scored a comfortable uncontested victory at Fezile Dabi regional elective conference amid an ill-fated challenge from his political opponents.

In yet another blow to the Regime Change’s “vicious, desperate, tired, and obviously dying” campaign aimed at the removal of incumbent ANC provincial chairperson, premier Ace Magashule, the grouping in the Fezile Dabi region that is solidly aligned to the premier emerged victorious at the regional elective conference held at Mimosa Gardens, Parys last weekend.

The 208 ANC branch delegates who attended the conference hailed from four constitutive sub-regional clusters of Ngwathe, Metsimaholo, Moqhaka, and Mafube.
The elected leadership matched the names revealed by The Weekly two weeks ago, ahead of the regional conference. They proposed and unanimously confirmed the names of Sizwe Mbalo, Jihad Mohapi, Moshe Tladi, Thabo Mabasa, and Madala Ntombela for the positions of chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary, deputy secretary, and treasurer respectively.

Following the conference, the new leadership collective of the region announced it was firmly behind the re-election of Magashule as provincial ANC chairperson.

The election of the Tumahole born and raised Mbalo, who is a staunch supporter of Magashule, is a major blow to Regime Change, which could not muster a single nomination for one of its candidates.

The group’s regional leaders, Victor Radebe and Steve Tshabalala, backed by current provincial ANC secretary Sibongile Besani and Mxolisi Dukwana failed in their attempts to stop the conference from proceeding. They had earlier threatened to apply to the Bloemfontein High Court to have the conference postponed but opted to lodge a complaint with NEC deployees, who referred it to the audit committee.

Mbalo’s election will ensure that all the branches within the region throw their support behind Magashule at the June ANC provincial conference.

The two-day incident-free conference was overseen by the Electoral College and ANC National Executive Committee deployees Faith Gasa and Bushy Magau, provincial chairperson Ace Magashule, regional conveners Mamiki Qabathe and Sebenzile Ngangelizwe, and provincial executive committee members and invitees Thabo Manyoni, Tate Makgoe, and Butana Kompela.

In line with the Polokwane 50/50 gender parity resolution, the conference also unanimously confirmed without contest the names of Disebo Nakedi, Lydia Moshodi, Joey Mochela, Nthabiseng Mokodutlo, Malefu Mofokeng, Nneheng Mopedi, Lindiwe Shongwe, Dikeledi Matshediso, Nomsa Kubeka, and Malefu Radebe as additional regional executive committee (REC) members. Lucky Phooko, Lebohang Semonyo, Brutus Mahlaku, Jabulani Sigasa, and Zorro Mareka were also confirmed as new REC members.

In his acceptance speech, Mbalo said the conference marked a “historic moment in the region after a long, tortuous journey”.
Mbalo added that the time had arrived to build “a glorious movement in the region”.

He alluded that the power of the ANC is in the branches and urged delegates to build cohesion and unity in the ANC. He also lamented the conspicuous absence of eight outgoing REC members in the conference, specifically Radebe and Tshabalala.

“We condemn the flagrant disrespect of organisational discipline shown by the outgoing REC members. We cannot allow a situation where leaders, when they are supposed to come and account, just disappear. This is setting a wrong precedent, as they are duty bound to account. This is abnormality all in the name of so-called regime change”.

The Weekly has learnt that the state of the region report revealed “serious challenges” and painted a grim picture of how the ANC in the region suffered under the leadership of Radebe and Tshabalala.

The conference resolved that given the deficiencies in the report, it should be deferred to the special regional general conference scheduled to take place in two weeks’ time.

Newly elected secretary Moshe Tladi announced that the incoming REC would be hosting regional policy sessions in Kroonstad and Sasolburg this weekend to capacitate branch members with ANC policy documents on organisational renewal, economic transformation, and gender relations in preparation for the National Policy Conference.

“We wish to avoid a situation where as a host province for the National Conference in December we do not input effectively in policy processes of the organisation. We regard these planned policy sessions as our top priority.”

An influential regional lobbyist in the region, who played a key role in Mbalo’s group’s unopposed victorious confirmation at the conference, believes the current leadership will stabilise the ANC in the region.

“This is the most relevant leadership collective to emerge. It will surely take the region from the current state of political paralysis deliberately caused by Comrade Victor and Steve – all in the name of ‘regime change’ – to a well-oiled machine that will lead the masses to Economic Freedom in their Lifetime.”

Meanwhile, The Weekly can confirm that the branch general meeting audit in the region commenced in earnest this week. The process is expected to validate the incoming REC as legitimate and bury the political ambitions of the Regime Change grouping “once and for all”, according to sources privy to the latest developments.