If cats have nine lives, Conny Ramothwala must be on number eight.
As the head of infrastructure for Greater Tzaneen Municipality under Mayor Odas Ngobeni, she handles water, roads, bridges, and electricity. She works with incredible energy. You would think hard work is welcomed in local government, but in politics, good work often makes enemies. Her opponents want her removed from leadership and wiped off the election list for November. Luckily, Mayor Ngobeni knows her value and refuses to let his best worker go.
Conny rose quickly in the ANC Mokwape Edwin Malatji Branch, moving from Deputy Chairperson to Branch Chairperson in just one term. But local politics is tough. After a stormy meeting, her rivals voted her out and thought her career was over.
Without support from regional bosses for a top party list spot, her chances looked dead. So Conny changed tactics. She went straight to the voters and ran as a Ward Candidate. Out in the streets, ordinary people know her, trust her, and like her.
Her enemies tried every trick to block her. They brought in a brand new candidate backed by regional leaders, using money and deals to clear the path. That new candidate won a tiny victory inside the closed branch meeting. But Conny stayed smart.
She partnered with a clever local leader and focused on the real election. When the actual community showed up to vote, Conny crushed her opponents. The branch had no choice but to accept her win.
Her rivals refused to accept defeat. They filed appeal after appeal with the Provincial Dispute Resolution Committee and the Provincial List Committee. Every single time, the officials checked the facts and gave the same answer: Conny won, fair and square.
As political analyst Joel Netshitenzhe once said, people used to power do not give up easily. Conny’s opponents are throwing huge tantrums. They are threatening to leave the ANC, March to Luthuli House in Johannesburg, or maybe even drag their complaints all the way to the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands.
While her rivals waste time and money on legal drama, Conny is simply taking a quick turn back to her office to get back to work. Cat or politician, you just cannot keep Conny down.