Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba.
Heads are set to roll following appointments of board members in Limpopo provincial government entities without following proper procedures.
The new Sheriff in town, first female Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba known for her no-nonsense character of defusing venality has vowed to ensure that the provincial administration will not be subjected to corrupt activities accelerated by political factionalism tendencies geared to milk the State purse.
Ramathuba made it very clear when she met various stakeholders in the province to cement and accelerated the message that those who have been illegally appointed to serve their political bishops who have embarked on remote controlling them in the name of it is time to eat before her administration will face the music.
Senior ANC leaders in Limpopo who are provincial executive committee (PEC) members applauded her for putting her foot down to defuse corrupt tendencies that have given birth to scandals like VBS and other unorthodox trends that depicted the Limpopo province known as the Garden of Eden as corrupt place will cease to exist under the leadership of her predecessor Stan Chupu Mathabatha who was fingered for taking a snail pace to defuse such crooked trends. “She is equal to the task. We put it to you that she will emancipate Limpopo from the previous administration shenanigans led by her predecessor Mathabatha. We will support her without trepidation,” said senior ANC leaders who opted to remain anonymous to avoid being targeted.
Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA) and Road Agency Limpopo (RAL) are amongst entities that are in the spotlight over allegations of political factionalism, maladministration, nepotism, State purse looting which raise eyebrows of the public in Limpopo.
Reportedly senior employees working under the mentioned government entities are harassed and subjected to trepidation for refusing to take unorthodox mandates which will give birth to calamity and impact their professional careers should they adhere to political remote control by the so called “political bishops”.
LEDA board chairperson Adv Thabelang Ncube from Lesotho was appointed in May 2024 before the new administration. Sources in LEDA have alleged that she has been appointed to settle political scores before the new administration led by Premier Ramathuba. Ncube has been accused of playing the man not the ball because she is allegedly taking instructions from political leaders who have no interest in serving the public but themselves. “In our new Premier we believe that we will no longer be subjected to unorthodox tendencies. We will be free from the so-called political bishops,” said sources.
Azanian sent Ncube questions last week to respond to the allegations but she opted not to respond to the allegations despite several attempts to contact her.
Former Limpopo Premier who supported disgraced former health minister Zweli Mkhize and his cronies appointed RAL board of directors without following proper procedures.
Mathabatha of ambhubezi fame who disobeyed ANC provincial executive committee by not supporting President Cyril Ramaphosa undermined the ANC leadership in Frans Mohlala again without any penitence.
Earlier, Ramathuba’s successor who is the new Deputy Minister of Ramaphosa’s government of national unity 7th administration ruffled ANC feathers by taking decisions alone with his faction who are bleeding the ruling party in the province. Mathabatha is disrespecting ANC provincial secretary in Limpopo Reuben Madadzhe because he refused to drink from the same political calabash with Mkhize who had an ambition of toppling President Ramaphosa.
In what has been labelled “our last time to eat”, bishop Mathabatha and his faction have been faulted for embarking on preparing themselves for the rainy days should their allies not return to power after the much anticipated provincial and national elections. The directors have been appointed less than 60 days before the national and provincial elections. Mathabatha and his associates did not deem necessary to wait for the new administration to make the appointment.
“Let me put it to you, what is the rush to appoint the board of directors with only a few days before the elections. This is what we call, our last time to eat before we lose power,” said sources.
The aggrieved senior ANC leaders who opted to remain anonymous who criticised Mabathabatha’s autocratic leadership style of not engaging with the ANC officials and its PEC said the biggest mistake by the Limpopo ANC PEC was to not recall Mathabatha after he refused to adhere to its mandate during the 55th national elective conference of the ANC.
As dark clouds hung over the then Mathabatha’s administration and his clique, the announcement of the new board was done by a fellow appointee instead of the executive authority. “I welcome the colleagues in joining the Roads Agency Limpopo Board of Directors. The Agency will benefit from the wealth of skills, knowledge and experience that they bring to continue the governance of the institution. The balance of skill and diversity are strengths and critical factors that I thank MEC Rakgoale for considering for the growth of the organisation and delivering on its important mandate,” said Matome Ralebipi, chairperson of the RAL board of directors.
A crony of Mathabatha, the former MEC for public works, roads and infrastructure MEC Rakgoale snubbed by the new sheriff in town Premier Ramathuba in her new Cabinet was left with no choice but to adhere to Mathabatha’s instructions of appointing RAL board of directors through his protégé Ralebipi whose term has been questionably extended.
The Azanian can confirm that the law requires that directors must be nominated by the public and their names published in a government gazette before appointment, however in this case that wasn’t done, and proper procedures were not followed when appointing RAL directors.
According to law a term of the board is 3 years, former MEC Dickson Masemola now Ramaphosa’s Deputy Minister who was marginalised by his political rival Mathabatha appointed some directors for a third term however ex-MEC Rakgoale appointed some directors for a third term and appointed them into their 4th term without providing reasons.
There are no specific reasons why these individuals are deemed irreplaceable despite the RAL challenges as the law prescribes that the board must consist of 8 members, but the RAL statement announced 9 directors.
The new Sheriff in town.
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