Overlycocky and combative Lesufi risks political fallout

For a politician who delivered to the ANC the worst election result in the country – barring the DA-dominated Western Cape – Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi is looking overly cocky and combative.

He seems to be testing the limits of the patience of the party hierarchy and, in particular, that of secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.

The hill on which Lesufi appears to ready to stake his political life is that of the government of national unity (GNU), an arrangement the ANC was forced into earlier this year after gaining a dismal 41% support in the national elections.

But Gauteng, under Lesufi, fared even worse, with just 35% of voters choosing the ruling party.

Undeterred, Lesufi played his by now tattered populist cards, by refusing to include the DA in his provincial government.

While he made out that this was because he refused to revert to the apartheid era, the DA was probably not far off the mark when it pointed out that he might be afraid of having them inside his political tent, where its representatives might be able to sniff out corruption.

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Lesufi defied the national leadership by openly attacking the DA and accusing it of wanting to reimpose “baasskap” and rule the country.

Even as he did this, though, there were allegations that he was covering up for officials involved in corruption.

He also has the cloud hanging over his head of the hundreds of millions of rands squandered in the supposed Covid disinfection programme run in schools while he was education MEC.

This week, he seemed to get the better of Mbalula and a feared dressing down for the premier never happened.

This may well embolden Lesufi, who has a raging ambition to sit in the highest office at Union Buildings.

Mbalula is also a contender for that spot and the fight could get messy.

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