Cape Town — African National Congress (ANC) provincial chair for Limpopo, Stanley Mathabatha, feels the province is now ready to be led be a woman Premier and ANC Chair.
Limpopo is currently the only province yet to have a female premier since South Africa entered democracy in 1994.
Mpumalanga announced Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane in March 2018 and KZN announced Nomusa Ncube-Dube in August 2022, The Citizen reported.
Mathabatha was speaking at the ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) Lekgotla this past weekend and said he feels now is finally the right time to see a woman lead the province once he steps down.
“Limpopo is ready to be led by a female premier. When I finally step down as premier of this province after the national elections, I will go a happy man,” said Mathabatha on the sidelines of an ANC meeting.
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Three MECs serving under Mathabatha’s administration are being touted to replace him as first Limpopo female premier. They are current ANC deputy provincial chair and roads and community safety MEC Florence Radzilani, ANC PEC member and public works MEC Nkakareng Rakgoale and another PEC member and health MEC Phophi Ramathuba.
Three men, namely Basikopo Makamu, Thabo Mokone, and Rodgers Monama, are also tipped as possible replacements.
Mathabatha joined the province in 2013 when six provincial departments were placed under adminsitration. He said tehre are now only two with unqualified audit options. He was elected Premier in 2014 and has since changed the fortunes of the province when it comes to support for the ANC.
“When I was elected unopposed in 2014, the ANC PEC and its branches were in tatters. But now both branches, regions and the PEC are a breath of fresh air. In 2014, Limpopo was the second-last nationally, in terms of [ANC] membership, [but] now we are the second-biggest province after KwaZulu-Natal,” Mathabatha said.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
