Former Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo and former ANC head of policy Jeff Radebe have been roped in to head Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal’s ANC renewal projects respectively.
This was according to various sources within the ANC, who spoke to Independent Media anonymously ahead of an important meeting with party Secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and the leadership of the provinces yesterday afternoon.
Mbalula’s meeting with the two provinces was scheduled to take place in Johannesburg at 5pm where he was expected to inform them about the long- awaited decision of how the reconfigured provincial structures would look like.
Last month, the party’s national executive committee had reached a conclusion that because of their dismal performances during the general elections last year, the two provinces needed a political shake-up.
Sources said the current Gauteng provincial chairperson, Panyaza Lesufi, may be lucky to retain his political power as he was expected to come back as a convener of the reconfigured provincial executive committee, a position equivalent to that of chairperson.
He is expected to be assisted by Masondo as the co-convener alongside Hope Papo, the former provincial secretary of the party in Gauteng, as the coordinator. This position is equivalent to the secretary’s, which leaves TK Nciza in the dark as to which role, if any, he will be playing in the reconfigured Gauteng PEC.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Radebe was expected to be paired with the party’s former deputy provincial chairperson Mike Mabuyakhulu, a move that cast doubt on Siboniso Duma and Bheki Mtolo’s political futures.
“We believe the sent ANC veterans will turn around the situation,” a source close to the party said.
If appointed, the two will be making a political comeback after years in the wilderness. Radebe was dropped in the Cabinet by president Cyril Ramaphosa in 2019 and also lost his national executive committee position in 2022. He is said to have gone into business.
Mabuyakhulu too was almost forgotten, although he was said to be playing an advisory role in the party in the province. He left active politics in 2018 after he was charged for corruption in relation to a failed North Sea Jazz festival, which the Economic Development and Tourism Department funded with R28 million under his tenure as the MEC.
The festival was cancelled, however, the department paid R28 million which was allegedly shared by the companies that were contracted to organise the event. He was acquitted in May 2023.