The Greater Tzaneen Municipality current Mayor, Gerson Phetole Molapisane.
The Greater Tzaneen Municipality is preparing for what local political observers are calling the mother of all council sittings.
Scheduled for tomorrow, May 25, 2026, this meeting is expected to be the final chapter in the ongoing battle to remove the current Mayor, Gerson Phetole Molapisane. Adding a profound layer of irony, this decisive sitting falls exactly on Africa Day, a date traditionally dedicated to the celebration of unity, liberation, and continental progress.
Many residents and political analysts are struck by the coincidence of this high-stakes political showdown taking place on a day meant to honor the founding of the Organization of African Unity. While the nation reflects on ideals of collective strength and responsible leadership, the Tzaneen council chamber will instead be a theater of deep division and factional warfare.
Often referred to in local circles by his moniker, Khwakhwashimba Ya Bolobedu, the Mayor finds himself at the centre of a severe political standoff that has paralyzed the local council for weeks. The pressure is mounting from all sides. In the Relela Cluster, where Molapisane first cut his political teeth, and across the broader Bolobedu area, residents are making it clear they do not take kindly to the treatment of one of their finest sons.
There is a growing sense of restlessness in these communities, and political analysts warn that this could severely hurt the ANC at the polls later this year. Interestingly, the issue of Molapisane’s removal was notably absent from the recent discussions at the Modjadji Royal Council, where local leaders voiced their own frustrations regarding the shoddy treatment they have received from the Limpopo Provincial Government.
This upcoming session follows two previous failed attempts to oust the embattled leader. The first effort to table a motion of no confidence against the Mayor collapsed before it could even begin. The second attempt, which was supposed to take place on May 19, was postponed at the eleventh hour amid legal threats from the Mayor.
The ANC in the Norman Mashabane Region has been clear about its desire for a leadership change, but the Mayor has remained defiant. Rumours are now sizzling about a pending rebellion within the council itself. Word is spreading that a group of ANC councillors is planning to vote against the motion, effectively defying their own party’s regional leadership. Speculation has even emerged that opposition parties may have been offered hefty sums of money to join this rebellion and ensure the motion is defeated. The EFF, through its sub-regional leadership, has categorically denied these claims, stating that they remain entirely aloof to the ANC’s internal factional battles.
As things stand, it is entirely possible that Molapisane may emerge from the upcoming Africa Day council sitting with a vote of confidence, further deepening the rift within the ruling party. Whether the Mayor bows to his bosses and disappears into political oblivion or survives to fight another day, this sitting on such a symbolic date will certainly go down as a defining moment for the Greater Tzaneen Municipality.