LIMPOPO IS THE HEARTBEAT — AND RAMATHUBA MUST KEEP IT BEATING
- Mpho Dube
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
ALL ROADS LEAD TO PETER MOKABA: RAMATHUBA TO LEAD HISTORIC ANC LIMPOPO MANIFESTO LAUNCH
By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief
The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.
AZANIAFROCOMEDIA – The Catalyst of Impact
Polokwane is about to roar.
This Sunday, 30 August 2026, all roads lead to the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium for the Limpopo Provincial Manifesto Launch. Gates open at 08h00, but the message will be heard across the country: Limpopo is ready, and Limpopo is still ANC.
At the centre of it all will be Dr Phophi Ramathuba — the first woman to lead Limpopo as Premier, and the first woman to lead the ANC in Limpopo as Provincial Chairperson. History is not just being celebrated on that stage, history will be leading it.
This is more than a manifesto launch. This is the first local government manifesto to be unveiled under Ramathuba's double mandate, and the stakes could not be higher.
In the previous elections, when the ANC was bleeding nationally, Limpopo stood firm. While the national ANC dropped to just 40 percent — its worst result since democracy — Limpopo delivered 74 percent.
It was a landslide that made Limpopo the heartbeat of the African National Congress, the one province that kept the heart pumping when other provinces were failing. The Eastern Cape was the next best at 62 percent, but Limpopo was in a league of its own.
That 74 percent is both a shield and a heavy burden for the current leadership. The mandate is clear: do not downswing. Limpopo cannot afford to drop. It must remain intact, and if possible, improve. The national movement is looking to Limpopo to show South Africa that the ANC can still govern, still win, and still inspire.
But the ground has shifted. New forces are circling. The MK Party led by former President Jacob Zuma, former President of the country and former President of the ANC, is trying to make inroads through traditional leaders.
ActionSA is trying its luck, desperate for a foothold in the province. And the Democratic Alliance, which has been around Limpopo for years, is watching for any crack.
This is why Sunday matters. Ramathuba knows that Limpopo is no longer just another province. It is the soul of the party. The medical doctor from Elim who became MEC, then Premier in June 2024, then Chairperson in March 2026 after being elected unopposed on a unity slate, must now prove that unity translates into votes.
From Riverside in Diepsloot where the national manifesto was launched, to Polokwane, the call is the same — turning the people's manifesto into local action, fixing local government, transforming communities, and building a better life for all, together.
On Sunday, Dr Phophi Ramathuba will not just launch a manifesto. She will be tasked with defending the heartbeat of the ANC.
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