By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Caption: ANCYL president Collen Malatji (Right) and ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa (Left).
The African National Congress (ANC) Youth League (ANCYL) president Collen Malatji is expected to be re-elected unopposed as the structure holds an early national elective conference.
The 27th elective conference is held at the University of Limpopo in Polokwane from the 14 to 17 of December 2025.
Malatji received nominations from 2806 branches across the country, according to the list of nominations released by the electoral committee chairman Andrew Dipela.
Other candidates who crossed the threshold from the branches were: For deputy president, Francisco Dyantyi; for secretary general, Tsakani Shiviti; for first deputy secretary, Zama Khanyase; for second deputy secretary, Venus Blennies-Magage; and for treasurer general, Jacob Tau.
Dipela emphasised that when branch nominations produce no contest, it should not be interpreted as someone being elected unopposed.
“We are still going to have another process where will have nominations from the floor. And if those nominations get enough support from the floor, then they will make it to the ballot,” said Dipela.
He said that as part of the process, the committee had to collate all the nominations from the branches.
The ANCYL elective conference is being held in a province where the ANC still enjoys good support and is not in any coalition.
More than 3 000 delegates are expected to attend this conference.
Meanwhile the current party provincial executive committee’s (PEC) term lapses in June 2026 and that branches of the ANC in the province’s five regions would deliberate on the proposal during branch general meetings (BGMs) and branch biennial general meetings (BBGMs).
Since the advent of democracy in 1994, Limpopo ANC has been led by male leaders.
This includes the province’s first chairperson, Ngoako Ramathlodi, who led from May 1994 to 22 April 2004, second was Sello Moloto who served only for one term from 2005 to 2008, followed by Cassel Mathale, who served from March 2009 to July 2013.He was followed by Chupu Stanley Mathabatha from February 2014.
Mathabatha was elected to a fourth third year term as the province’s chairperson in June 2022.
The names that have doing the rounds to tussle for space in the top five positions are that of Polokwane mayor, Makoro John Mpe, Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba, Limpopo Provincial Legislature Speaker Makoma Makhurupetja, social development MEC Florence Radzilane, as well as cooperative governance, human settlement and traditional affairs MEC Basikop Rodgers Makamu.