RUSTENBURG, North West — Fierce denials have emerged from both the African National Congress (ANC) and the newly formed SLK Independent Party (SLK) following widespread speculation that ANC Bojanala regional convenor Sheila Mabale-Huma is secretly funding the opposition movement. The rumors suggest the Rustenburg executive mayor is covertly bankrolling the breakaway faction to manipulate council alliances ahead of the critical November 2026 local government elections.
The intense political speculation linking the mayor to the breakaway party has prompted swift and sharp rebukes from all involved factions, with both the SLK Independent Party and ANC leadership dismissing the funding rumors as baseless propaganda.
Sheila Mabale-Huma, who serves as both the ANC Bojanala Region Convenor and the Executive Mayor of the Rustenburg Local Municipality, strongly condemned the allegations. She described the claims as “dangerous” and misleading to ANC members, arguing that the smear campaign is a calculated attempt to damage the ruling party’s image during a crucial election cycle.
“There’s no way that I can support any other political party except the African National Congress,” Mabale-Huma stated, emphasizing her loyalty as a deployed representative of the ANC. She asserted that detractors are merely trying to tarnish her reputation and the name of the ANC, but insisted they will not succeed.
The SLK Independent Party has also firmly denied any financial ties to the mayor. SLK Independent Party President Kagiso Seleke issued a sharp rebuke, urging the ANC to keep his party out of its internal squabbles. Seleke attributed the rumors to the governing party’s chronic infighting and what he described as daily “character assassination” tactics.
Noting that Mabale-Huma is currently navigating a contested battle to become the ANC’s mayoral candidate, Seleke suggested that the SLK is being dragged into the fray because they are now actively contesting elections in the Rustenburg area, including the Kling and Moses Katan local municipalities. “Maybe they are seeing us or looking at us as a threat,” Seleke added.
Echoing these sentiments, ANC Bojanala Spokesperson Thabo Molamu dismissed the claims as baseless “petty politicking.” He suggested the rumors are being spread by rivals looking to unseat the regional convenor at a critical campaign moment.
“She’s doing very well there [as mayor] and there are people obviously who would want to dethrone her for reasons that are known to us,” Molamu explained, confirming that the harsh reality is that she is not involved in any such covert political strategies.
These disputes arise during a highly volatile and fragile period for the governing party in the region. The ANC currently lacks an outright majority in Rustenburg and is navigating immense factional pressure, with eight different candidates actively contesting the mayoral post ahead of the upcoming local government polls.
