Mbeki+ally+home+and+dry+in+Mpumalanga,+5-6-20,+Business+Day

Business Day, Johannesburg, 20 June 2005
=‘Mbeki ally’ home and dry in Mpumalanga=


 * Karima Brown, Political Correspondent**

MPUMALANGA premier Thabang Makwetla was elected as the new provincial chairman of the African National Congress (ANC) at the weekend, ousting longtime ANC strongman Fish Mahlalela in a bitter leadership tussle.

Makwetla’s election is seen as a boost for President Thabo Mbeki as he tries to recapture support among the rank and file of the party following his decision to axe former deputy president Jacob Zuma last week. Since his dismissal, Zuma has gone on the offensive and used a Youth Day rally in Mpumalanga to state his case.

Makwetla, commonly dubbed “Mbeki’s man”, was quick to dispel any notions that his province was in Zuma’s camp.

“The province of Mpumalanga is fully behind President Mbeki’s decision, and deputy president Jacob Zuma is innocent until proven guilty,” he said.

He said the ANC in the province was duty-bound to support the party’s leadership. Reports that ANC structures were backing either of the two leaders were “way off the mark”.

Makwetla also dismissed reports that his victory over Mahlalela had anything to do with the political fallout following Zuma’s dismissal.

“There is a view in the media that because President Mbeki appoints premiers that I am his man, but as much as it is the president’s decision alone, he consults within the ANC on these matters and my appointment is the outcome of a collective decision,” he said.

Makwetla’s win may well be a boon for Mbeki given that provincial conferences tend to be platforms for anti-Mbeki sentiment. The outcome of the provincial conferences in Free State, Limpopo, and Eastern Cape will be watched closely as Zuma and Mbeki battle for grassroots support.

Media reports suggest that conference deliberations in Mpumalanga had to be briefly halted when delegates booed the provincial leadership. ANC national leaders deployed to the event had to intervene.

Amid rumblings from the Mahlalela faction that the process was irregular, Makwetla said he was satisfied the election was fair.

Makwetla’s election as party boss puts him in pole position as he now presides over party structures and also drives government’s programme of action in the province.