Maile at core of Gauteng ANC leadership struggle

● A low-intensity battle to determine who will control the ANC in Gauteng, and eventually lead the province, is being waged between supporters of former provincial chairman and ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile and premier David Makhura, who is set to become provincial chairman.

At the heart of the battle is who will assume the position of deputy ANC chairman in the province. Makhura is said to support former Johannesburg mayor Parks Tau, but the Mashatile group is strongly pushing for economic development MEC Lebogang Maile. A third candidate is education MEC Panyaza Lesufi. Gauteng is holding important conferences this weekend that will give an indication of who is in the lead.

The Sunday Times has previously reported that former Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa was being lobbied to challenge Makhura for the chairmanship. With Ramokgopa’s campaign battling to gain ground, a plan is being devised to get Maile to deputise for Makhura.

On Maile’s ticket as provincial secretary is former Emfuleni mayor Jacob Khawe, who resigned in June after his municipality was placed under administration.

The plan is to prepare Maile to challenge Makhura for the chairmanship in four years and emerge as premier in 2024, when Makhura will have served 10 years.

Maile lobbyists say he has made serious inroads in three major regions — Ekurhuleni, West Rand and parts of Johannesburg. He is also said to be gaining support in Tshwane.

They claim that Tau is receiving support only in his home region, Johannesburg, and that Lesufi is struggling to muster enough support in his home region of Ekurhuleni. The regional leadership there, led by Mzwandile Masina, is behind Maile.

Maile supporters believe the decision to place Emfuleni under administration was taken to embarrass Khawe and weaken him as a potential candidate for provincial secretary. But they said it was having no effect and that Khawe was receiving huge support and would easily defeat provincial secretary Hope Papo, another ally of Makhura.

“It was a ploy by those guys to weaken our team, but they won’t succeed. He [Khawe] is very strong in all the regions. Hope [Papo] is not coming back,” said a Maile supporter who asked not to be named.

Another lobbyist for Maile said Makhura would find it difficult to work alongside Maile in the party. If Maile and Khawe were elected with a provincial executive committee aligned to them, they would “manage” Makhura and decide for him who got deployed where in the Gauteng government.

“Makhura wants people who are not going to challenge him. Maile is an independent person; he is not afraid to challenge him,” said another Maile ally.

Tensions have been high in the build-up to the conference. Makhura has been accused of using state resources to weaken Khawe and Maile, after he referred forensic reports on Maile’s economic development department to the Special Investigating Unit.

Makhura has denied the claims and told the Sunday Times he would not be deterred from acting against wrongdoing.

Lesufi dismissed claims he was struggling to muster support in Ekurhuleni, saying he was the one leading with nominations. “In Ekurhuleni, where I come from, 87% of the branches nominated me . . . West Rand is the same, almost 64%. It’s only in Sedibeng where we are almost neck and neck.”

Maile said he was confident of his chances but that he respected the internal processes of the ANC and did not want to comment further. “I also don’t want people to use my name to divide the ANC,” he said.

Tau said he was busy preparing for the Johannesburg regional conference and had no time to monitor nominations.