The home of public works MEC and former ANC provincial treasurer Babalo Madikizela in the suburb of Nahoon Valley in East London is up for sale. The five-bedroom house, which was listed on a property website and later removed, was advertised at R15.9m. The advert described it as “a masterful, architecturally perfect design, merging aesthetic form with efficiency of function”.
What an exhausting weekend it was, but the much-anticipated ninth ANC provincial elective conference has finally come and gone, and a new provincial leadership has been unveiled. It came as a great relief that proceedings, though drawn-out, went relatively smoothly and without any violence, as had been expected, after the “festival of chairs” in 2017.
After the dust settled from the tumultuous ANC provincial elective conference, the political landscape has shifted considerably, with some of the province’s most prominent politicians left out in the cold while new faces are ready to step up and take up the mantle. Councillor Nanziwe Rulashe, who just months ago was physically dragged out of the Amathole district municipality offices, and controversial former Bay councillor Andile Lungisa, were two of the big winners who ascended to the part.
Babalo Madikizela, who lost his bid to become the ANC’s provincial chair, on Monday announced plans to leave government to focus on his business aspirations, which he said he had neglected since he came to government in 2018. Madikizela lost to Oscar Mabuyane in the race for the chairmanship position by a 150-vote margin.