ANC Deputy Provincial Secretary, Pule Shayi
Mopani District Executive Mayor and Fetakgomo-Tubatse Local Municipality Mayor Edwin Eddie Maila are one step closer to joining the Limpopo Provincial Legislature and the provincial cabinet.
According to Provincial Notice 1355 of 2026 published in the Limpopo Provincial Gazette on Monday, 27 July 2026, the two senior leaders have been officially placed on the supplemented reserve list of candidates for the African National Congress (ANC) in the Limpopo Legislature.
The publication of the updated candidate list by Acting Secretary to the Legislature Makgopa Mokope Lot signals an upcoming reshuffle in provincial government. Being placed on the gazetted reserve list allows Shayi and Maila to be sworn in as Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) whenever vacancies open. Once sworn in, both leaders will be eligible for appointment by Premier Dr. Phophi Ramathuba to the Limpopo Provincial Executive Council as Members of the Executive Council (MEC).
Shayi’s Rise and the Chain Reaction in Mopani
The gazetting of Pule Shayi comes shortly after his election as the ANC Deputy Provincial Secretary at the recent 10th Limpopo ANC Provincial Conference. His move to top provincial administration has triggered a natural transition of political leadership back home in the Mopani District and the Norman Mashabane region.
When Shayi stepped up into provincial leadership, his former deputy in the Norman Mashabane region, Dagma Mamanyoha, moved up to become the regional chairperson. Mamanyoha currently serves as the Mayor of Greater Letaba Municipality.
With Shayi’s arrival at the Provincial Legislature now virtually guaranteed, a vacancy for the executive mayor position at the Mopani District Municipality will officially open. Inside party ranks, Mamanyoha is viewed as the natural and best qualified candidate to take over the Mopani mayoral chain.
Recent attempts by a minor faction to block Mamanyoha’s rise using tribal arguments have completely failed to gain traction. Opponents tried to argue that the mayoral seat belonged to candidates from other sub-regions. However, upper ANC structures have consistently rejected these tribal divisions. Senior party leadership is expected to stick to long-standing ANC tradition by allowing the regional chairperson to fill the executive vacancy left by the outgoing mayor.
Maila Prepares for Provincial Executive Role
Joining Shayi on the gazetted candidate list is Edwin Eddie Maila, the newly elected ANC Provincial Treasurer. Maila, who has been leading the Fetakgomo-Tubatse Local Municipality as mayor, is also set to relinquish his local government post to join the provincial administration.
Maila recently led his municipality out of financial hot water by submitting required compliance reports to National Treasury, successfully unfreezing Fetakgomo-Tubatse’s equitable share allocation. His addition to the legislature list confirms that he is earmarked for a major strategic portfolio within the provincial executive.
John Mpe Stays Put in Polokwane
While Shayi and Maila prepare to move up to provincial government, one notable name is completely missing from the updated gazette list. ANC Provincial Deputy Chairperson John Mpe is a conspicuous absentee from the supplemented legislature reserve list.
His absence from the official notice makes it clear that Mpe is not moving to the Provincial Legislature or cabinet. Instead, he will remain rooted in local government leadership.
Mpe’s position in local government was further confirmed when he traveled to the ANC national headquarters at Luthuli House in Johannesburg for interviews regarding the Polokwane mayoral position. The ANC Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) officially nominated Mpe to retain his position as Polokwane Executive Mayor. Demonstrating strong high-level backing, Mpe was accompanied to Luthuli House by ANC Provincial Chairperson Dr. Phophi Ramathuba and Provincial Secretary Reuben Madadzhe.
However, the race for the Polokwane mayoralty is not entirely uncontested. Mpe faces internal competition from a former Limpopo ANC Provincial Secretary and former MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), who was formally nominated for the mayoral role by the ANC Veterans League.
A New Chapter for Limpopo Local Authorities
The latest gazette notice confirms that major leadership movements are now locked in place across Limpopo.
As Pule Shayi and Eddie Maila prepare to take up their new legislative duties in Polokwane, the focus shifts to filling the executive vacancies left behind in Mopani and Sekhukhune. With Dagma Mamanyoha positioned to assume the Mopani district mayoralty, local government structures are preparing for a smooth transition to maintain administrative stability.
Limpopo ANC Strongman, John Mpe