Newly sworn-in Councillor of the Greater Tzaneen Municipality, Odas Ngobeni.
The streets of Tzaneen felt like a movie set on Thursday as the battle for the Mayor’s office reached a boiling point.
It was a long day filled with meeting after meeting, starting in the early morning and stretching late into the afternoon. While the African National Congress (ANC) leadership in Limpopo tried their best to finalize a change in power, they were met with a surprising amount of resistance and a very cheerful Mayor Gerson Molapisane.
The day began with a heavy police presence on Agatha Street. As a precautionary measure, the acting municipal manager, Freedom Mthethwa, ordered the council offices to be closed to the public until 14:00. Access was restricted to only councillors and municipal officials.
Outside on the pavement, the air was thick with tension. Protesters from two different camps gathered under the watchful eyes of the police. One group was there to support Molapisane, while the other was shouting for his replacement, Odas Ngobeni.
Inside the building, the drama was even more intense. The day started with a Municipal Executive Committee meeting. To the surprise of many, Mayor Molapisane attended the session “jubilantly.” Despite knowing that his party was actively trying to remove him, he did not look like a man under pressure. He smiled and greeted colleagues as if it were just another ordinary day at the office.
However, the mood changed when a high-powered delegation from the ANC Provincial and Regional Executive Committees arrived.
Led by the Provincial Secretary, Reuben Madadzhe, the party bosses came to address the ANC caucus. Their mission was clear: they had to enforce the “party line.” Because Molapisane has refused to resign voluntarily, the leadership had to convince their own councillors to support a forced removal.
This push is part of a broader “reconfiguration” of councils across the province. ANC spokesperson Ernest Rachoene explained that the Provincial Executive Committee decided earlier this week to replace the mayors in both the Vhembe District and Greater Tzaneen. In Vhembe, the change was smooth as Miyelani Chauke was inaugurated to replace Fredah Nkondo.
Rachoene stated that the mandate for these new leaders is simple. They must speed up the delivery of services, especially the provision of water to communities that have been struggling for years.
In Tzaneen, however, the process has hit a legal snag. The day did see one major step forward for the party. Odas Ngobeni, the former Mopani District spokesperson, was officially sworn in as a PR councillor. He took the seat left vacant by Tennyson Ngobeni, who resigned earlier this week. For now, the man who is expected to be the next Mayor is serving on the Finance and Budget Committee.
The plan was for Ngobeni to take the chain immediately, but the rules of the council stood in the way. During the sitting, Chief Whip Given Malatji attempted to table a motion of no confidence against Mayor Molapisane. He wanted the Mayor out right then and there. But he was quickly advised that he must follow due process.
According to council rules, a motion of this nature must be properly scheduled. This means the showdown has been postponed until the next council sitting, which is set for May 29.
This result means that for the next few weeks, the Greater Tzaneen Municipality will be in a strange state of limbo. Gerson Molapisane remains the Mayor. He has made it clear that he will continue to go about his duties unperturbed.
He intends to finish his projects and serve the community until the very last second. On the other hand, the “substitute” mayor, Odas Ngobeni, is now a councillor but must “twiddle his toes” on the sidelines until the end of the month.
The ANC is confident that the change will eventually happen. Rachoene congratulated the new mayor in Vhembe and reminded everyone that the people deserve better services. But in Tzaneen, the “Khwakhwashimba-Ya-Bolobedu” has proven to be a tough nut to crack. He is not going down without a fight, and he is using every legal and procedural tool at his disposal to stay in the seat.
As the offices on Agatha Street finally reopened and the protesters went home, one thing was certain. The drama is far from over. The ANC has drawn its line in the sand, but Molapisane has shown that he is not afraid to cross it.
All eyes are now on May 29, when the council will meet again to decide if the award winning mayor will stay or if the former spokesperson will finally take the lead. Until then, the standoff continues.