Comfortable victory for Stan Mathabatha as he retains Limpopo ANC provincial chair position

Stan Mathabatha has been re-elected as chair for a third term to lead the ANC in Limpopo in a comfortable victory over Dickson Masimola during the provincial conference which did not encounter many delays or conflicts over credentials.

In a clean sweep, Mathabatha and his entire slate were elected at the 10^th provincial conference which was held at The Ranch in Polokwane on Saturday. Mathabatha beat his opponent Dickson Masemola by nearly 400 votes as he received 781 votes while Masemola received 389 votes.

With Mathabatha re-elected to lead the ANC in Limpopo as chair, the organisation will have the task of finding the next candidate eligible of becoming the province’s next premier-elect. Mathabatha will serve until 2024 when the country goes to the polls for the national government elections, where he will not be allowed to lead the office for a third term.

Ruben Madadzhe got the nod for the position of secretary, while Soviet Lekganyane received 451 votes. Madadzhe was a late addition to the slate, following the decision by the national executive committee to bar those affected by its contentious step-aside resolution to not contest for any positions in the party. Influential Danny Msiza was left out because of the resolution and was replaced by the former youth league leader.

In his victory and acceptance speech, Mathabatha made it clear to the new leadership and the delegates that being appointed as a leader was not about the person but about the organisation. He said being a servant of the people in the community or branches, the person needs to gain trust from those who vote.

Source: Daily Maverick, Sowetan Live, Eyewitness News, ENCA, image from Twitter

Doctor Mahlaule

Doctor Mahlaule previously worked as a Freelance Journalist at Find-it SA where he was responsible for writing news articles and sharing them on social media platforms. Doctor Mahlaule holds a Diploma in Journalism, BA in Communication Science and a BA Honours in Media Studies. Doctor began his journey as a knowledge Management and Communications Intern at Zenex Foundation. He was responsible for support in event management, social media, website maintenance, writing and brand management. On weekends Doctor attends prison ministry and shares the scriptures with inmates at Krugersdorp prison and plays soccer in the afternoon on some weekends. He has a passion for reading and writing and enjoys going out with friends and socialising in his spare time. He has a one-year-old son and is planning on getting married soon. When asked about what keeps him going, he said: “My family keeps me going. I’m the man I am because I come from a loving home. I have a very supportive family who always encourages me to keep pushing hard.”

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