Several African National Congress (ANC) big guns in the North West province have joined the race for the chairpersonship of the party among them former chairpersons Supra Mahumapelo and Nono Maloyi, and current premier Bushy Maape.
The party is set to hold its provincial conference soon.
In the past few years, provincial ANC politics have been on unstable grounds. The Mahumapelo-led PEC was disbanded in 2018.
The party is currently led by an interim structure appointed in 2019. Its mandate is to convene a provincial conference within nine months.
The coronavirus pandemic and the local government elections derailed these plans. Now, three years later, Mahumapelo, Maloyi and Maape have been mentioned as possible contenders for the party’s top job in the province. But are they up for the challenge?
“We don’t nominate or elect ourselves, we are nominated and elected by branches of the ANC that is why I am available for that position, and indeed we have a huge responsibility as leaders of the ANC and as ordinary members of the ANC to unify the African National Congress. a divided ANC it’s not only destructive to the ANC, it’s equally destructive to the country,” explains Nono Maloyi.
Bushy Maape says, “You know in the ANC we don’t talk about such things in the media, we will wait for the opportune time when we are permitted to discuss what we want to do or not, and then I think at the right time. I will be in a position to announce whether I am available or not. At the moment in terms of the ANC, we are not yet there.”
Mahumapelo has not yet acceded to an interview request. A branch in Mahikeng has nominated him for the chairperson position. But does this mean a comeback in local politics?
Political analyst at North West University Professor André Duvenhage says, “Nono Maloyi, as well as Bushy Maape, are more aligned towards the Ramaphosa group while Supra Mahumapelo, is without any doubt aligned with the RET. I think Mr Mahumapelo is always a dangerous figure when it comes to North West politics. But at the moment, things are changing in the favour of the Ramaphosa candidates. My take at the moment is that Nono Maloi is probably the strongest of the three of them.”
Meanwhile, the coordinator of the IPC, Hlomani Chauke has been nominated by a branch in Ramotshere Moiloa in Lehurutshe as treasurer for the party in the province.
