Nyoni is part of a slate that includes former provincial secretary Mandla Ndlovu, who is set to contest the provincial leadership when Mpumalanga finally sits for an elective conference early next year.
The purported slate has been seen as not only a viable alternative to Mtsweni, but a real chance to shake off former provincial chairperson and now Deputy President David “DD” Mabuza’s hold on the province.
This will be the ANC’s second-largest province’s first elective conference since Mabuza ascended to the second-in-command role at the party’s watershed 2017 Nasrec elective conference. He has since fallen out of favour with some of his allies at national level, with the likes of Ndlovu, who was once a well-known Mabuza ally, having been said to have now become closer to the ANC’s current secretary-general Ace Magashule.
Some of Nyoni’s backers have told News24 they believed his role at the department was being used in the battle, with others have accused the premier of refusing to renew his contract for three more years as part of a political game. – News24
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