New Limpopo mayor’s legitimacy questioned after SACP membership issues

Ousted mayor Thabitha Mohlala claims she is still in charge of Lephalale Local Municipality A faction in Limpopo has learnt the hard way about the dangers of dual membership of the ANC and the South African Communist Party (SACP). The faction backs the current leadership of the Lephalale Local Municipality that was appointed in March after the ANC’s 11th provincial elective conference in Polokwane. This comes after a council sitting a fortnight ago re-elected former mayor Aaron Mokgehle as mayor of Lephalale Local Municipality. He replaces former mayor Thabitha Mohlala, who had held the position since May, when she ousted Mokgehle from the plum ANC job. Dual membership problems However, Mokgehle’s return as mayor was not without controversy. The Citizen understands his election comes despite him no longer serving as a councillor. This follows the ANC in the Waterberg region allegedly terminating his membership for missing a deadline to state whether he belonged to the ANC or the SACP. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula set an 11 May deadline for those holding dual membership of the ANC and the SACP to choose which party they want to campaign for ahead of the crucial local government elections on 4 November. “When he was elected, the council was corroding. The problem is that the ANC in the Waterberg region was no longer considering him as a councillor, since he failed to make his choice before the May deadline. So Mr Mokgehle was still holding dual membership of the ANC and the SACP at the time of his election. From where I am standing, the mayor of Lephalale is not Mokgehle, but Thabitha Mohlala,” said a source within the ANC in Waterberg district. But others in the council, who spoke to The Citizen on condition of anonymity, said Mokgehle was the rightful mayor. “Mokgehle has dual ties and a history of involvement with both the ANC and the SACP. He served as an ANC councillor and regional leader, including as Waterberg regional treasurer, and was repeatedly put forward and reinstated as mayor under the ANC’s regional and provincial mandates amid shifting municipal leadership. “Moreover, local and regional reports note his active engagement with SACP structures and community support bases that blur ANC-SACP dual membership lines in the Waterberg region. Despite being away from ANC day-to-day politics because of the ultimatum, this man was elected by a well-constituted council,” said the source. ANC losing control of Limpopo’s municipalities? Some in the province say his return indicates that the ANC is slowly losing its grip on Limpopo’s 27 local and district municipalities. Others suggest that Mokgehle and his SACP bloc should be watched closely ahead of the highly contested polls. ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that members with dual ANC and SACP membership will face consequences if they campaign for the SACP instead of the ANC. Speaking at the conclusion of the ANC Limpopo provincial conference in March 2026, Ramaphosa said dual members must choose a side and unequivocally campaign for the ANC. Ramaphosa’s warning follows the SACP’s decision to contest the upcoming local government elections independently, straining relations and placing dual members – including high-ranking provincial figures – in a political bind. SACP general-secretary Solly Mapaila strongly rejected the ANC’s directive, telling members to ignore ultimatums to choose sides and affirming the party’s independent electoral stance. In Limpopo, MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs Pule Shayi, PEC member Goodman Mtileni and Premier Phophi Ramathuba had to resign from the SACP to remain in the ANC. ‘I’m still the mayor’ – Mohlala Despite the drama, Mohlala continues to report for duty as if nothing has happened. “Yes, I am still the mayor of this municipality. I am still having all the specs of the municipality and that of a mayor, including the mayoral chain and the mayoral car. I can assure you, I still draw my salary from this municipality every month,” she said. Mohlala said Mokgehle must wake up from his “wild dream” and remember that he was removed from council as mayor in May. She said Mokgehle must also remember that he is currently number one on the SACP PR list in Lephalale, while she is number one on the ANC PR list. “Then why do you need to be a mayor under the ticket of the ANC, while you are a proud member of the SACP, which you are campaigning for?” she asked. ‘Council will not remove me’ Mohlala suggested that she would not be removed from her position by the council. “I am here to stay because no kangaroo court or council will remove me from my job, except for the ANC in the sub-region, the region and the province,” Mohlala said on Friday. The SACP in Limpopo said Mokgehle remains its member in good standing. “Mr Aaron Mokgehle is indeed our member in good standing. We are unable to confirm if his purported expulsion from the ANC has already taken effect or not, particularly considering that Mokgehle and two others who are also affected are challenging the ANC decision in court. The matter is reported to be on the roll for next week Tuesday at the Polokwane High Court,” said Limpopo SACP provincial secretary Chiene Malebana on Friday. Malebana said the SACP considers Mokgehle as the local municipality’s rightful mayor. “There has never been any council meeting since the last council meeting of 28 September 2026, which elected Mokgehle as mayor. That council resolution remains in full force and effect. Any activity undertaken by any other person purporting to be mayor alternative to Mokgehle stands to be unlawful and of no effect,” said Malebana. Mokgehle was not available for comment at the time of going to print. Municipal spokesperson Conscious Chiloane declined to comment.