Africa-Press – South-Africa. POLITICAL
ANC members are notorious for coming up with strange names for their lobby groups during the party’s internal elections season, and the latest to crop up in Gauteng’s Johannesburg region include the Fire Brigade camp and their opponents, Spirit.
The five Gauteng ANC regions, including Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, Sedibeng and West Rand, are all expected to hold elections for new regional leaders ahead of the provincial elective conference scheduled for June this year.
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Contestant for provincial chairperson and Human Settlements, Urban Planning and Cooperative Governance, and Traditional Affairs MEC Lebogang Maile’s campaign is informally known as Adiwele, a popular track in the amapiano music dance scene.
Adiwele has a strong presence in Tshwane and the West Rand regions.
Another group called the RS3 group is confident that it will be a walk-over in their favour on the West Rand. RS3 stands for regional secretary for third term. The regional secretary is Sanele Ngweventsha.
ANC Johannesburg regional secretary Dada Morero is the face of the Fire Brigade lobby group and he is expected to contest for the regional chairperson post against former mayor Mpho Moerane, who is said to be the face of Spirit.
But a key lobbyist for Moerane insisted his lobby is called Unity for Purpose. “He [Moerane] took a conscious decision to stand for the unity and bring all lobby groups or factions together for the sake of unity and renewal,” said the lobbyist.
A person in Morero’s campaign group said the name fire brigade.
He said:
Another Johannesburg activist said Spirit was a word the late former City of Joburg mayor Geoff Makhubo used frequently, suggesting that the lobby group may be looking to revive the spirit of Makhubo.
The slate for Fire Brigade lists former Joburg finance MEC Matshidiso Mfikoe as Morero’s deputy or former council speaker Nonceba Molwele, ANC Youth League Gauteng coordinator Stanley Letsoalo as secretary, and Nomoya Mnisi as his deputy.
But Johannesburg activist Fred Mokoko, the acting spokesperson for Maile, is also being touted for the position of secretary. The group has three names for the treasurer position – Phosane Mngqibisa, an ally of suspended ANC secretary general Ace Magashule, former council chief whip Solly Mogase and Sihle Ngubane.
The opposing camp lists the deputy chairperson as Eunice Mgcina (currently the acting chairperson), secretary as regional spokesperson Sasabona Manganye or Lebogang Tshabalala, the deputy secretary as Loyiso Masuku, an ANC councillor and the wife to former health MEC Bandile Masuku and the treasurer as Mngqibisa.
For representativity, the successful lobby would have to feature candidates from both the Johannesburg North region – which includes Alexandra township and the Johannesburg South region, which includes Soweto.
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In the Deep South region, the Spirit camp – areas around Orange Farm – has a slightly different list, placing Mgcina as the chairperson, deputised by former housing MMC Bonakele Bovu. Their proposed secretariat is former council deputy chief whip Justice Ngalonkulu as secretary, Masuku as his deputy and Mngqibisa as treasurer.
The two camps, Fire Brigade and Spirit, used to be one group until the fallout between Morero and Moerane, who then shifted to the camp of Masuku and others. Mngqibisa, who features on both lists, was aligned to the group of Pule Mlambo, the senior ANC staffer who passed away in January.
In Tshwane, regional chairperson Kgosi Maepa is expected to contest for the post against his secretary, Eugene “Bonzo” Modise. In Ekurhuleni former mayor and chairperson Mzwandile Masina is expected to contest against his treasurer Doctor Xhakaza.
In Sedibeng, ANC provincial elections manager Thulani Kunene is expected to contest against Mosotho Petlane. In the West Rand, former ANCYL national leader Phillip Ntibi Modise of the RS3 is up against youth league regional chairperson William Matsheke of Adiwele.
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