Reuben Mosila exits the Greater Letaba Municipality and the ANC.
The political ground in the Mopani District is shifting rapidly as veteran leaders walk away from the ANC.
On May 11, 2026, the region witnessed yet another high-profile departure. Mahlomola Reuben Mosila, a longstanding leader in the Greater Letaba subregion and a Member of the Executive Committee responsible for Community Services, officially resigned from both his council seat and the party.
His exit marks a significant loss for the Greater Letaba Municipality. In his letter to the speaker, he confirmed his immediate departure from the council and all other structures where he served, including the Mopani District Municipality.
A Failed Peace and the Purging Spirit
The roots of this fallout go back to the recent Regional Conference. Mosila was instrumental in working with former Tzaneen Mayor Maripe Mangena to challenge irregularities during the Branch General Meetings. Their goal was to ensure a fair process, but the aftermath was bitter.
After the conference, attempts to smoke the peace pipe with the new regional party bosses were reportedly rejected. Instead of unity, these leaders faced marginalization. The prevailing attitude from the new leadership appeared to be “Mabahambe,” which means “let them go.” This spirit of purging has now pushed one of Letaba’s most experienced leaders out the door.
The Case of Maripe Mangena
Maripe Mangena, the former Mayor of Greater Tzaneen, led this wave of departures when he submitted his resignation from the ANC on April 27, 2026. It was a decision he described as painful, especially since he was only four years away from achieving ANC veteran status.
Mangena explained that he and others had tried everything possible to build an ANC that was acceptable to the public. They wrote disputes, committed to protests, and spoke out on relevant platforms, but their efforts were to no avail. He stated that he wanted to be free to focus on community interests, aspirations, and dreams rather than internal party squabbles.
The Dr. Ramothwala Factor
The ANC’s loss has clearly become ActionSA’s gain. Dr. MMM Ramothwala, a former national youth leader and spokesperson, also formally requested the termination of his ANC membership to join ActionSA. In his resignation letter, he highlighted the dire state of the region, citing unemployment, poverty, poor roads, and the failure of water and healthcare provision. He argued that these issues require everyone to be politically active in a way that actually changes living conditions.
ActionSA’s leadership has been quick to welcome these veterans. Dr. Mikia Ramothwala described Reuben Mosila as one of the best leaders to come out of Letaba. He expressed excitement at the prospect of Mosila bringing his skills and experience to grow the ActionSA movement.
Defying the Logic of the SACP
What defies political logic for many observers is that these senior leaders are not turning to the South African Communist Party (SACP). The SACP has already resolved to contest the forthcoming local government elections independently. For leaders with decades of history in the liberation movement, the SACP would seem like a natural home. Instead, they are choosing ActionSA, a party with no traditional struggle credentials.
One of the defectors explained this choice with brutal honesty. He noted that ActionSA offered him “immediacy” that the SACP could not match. While the SACP represents a “hard and long slog” of ideological building and structural challenges, ActionSA provides a ready-made platform for those who want to see results right now. For leaders who feel they have wasted years fighting internal ANC battles, the prospect of a faster route to community impact is more attractive than sticking with traditional alliances.
A Crisis Before the Polls
The timing of these resignations could not be worse for the governing party. With the municipal polls set for November 4, the ANC is losing the very people who know how to deliver services. The letters from these leaders share a common theme. They speak of a desire to be with the people in their daily struggles rather than fighting internal battles.
Information coming from all four subregions points to even more senior resignations on the horizon. If the “Mabahambe” spirit continues to dominate the regional leadership, the ANC may find itself heading into the November elections with a severely weakened team. For the voters in Mopani, the focus is now on whether these departing leaders will successfully take their supporters with them to their new political homes.