Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela to resign from office on Tuesday

Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela has informed the African National Congress (ANC) of her intention to resign from office on Tuesday.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula confirmed this during a media briefing at Luthuli House in Johannesburg, on the outcomes of the ANC’s special national executive committee (NEC) meeting held on Monday.

ALSO READ: Mxolisi Dukwana elected ANC Free State chairperson

He said the premier informed him on Monday evening of her decision to step down.

“Ntombela informed me last night that she intends to resign from the position as the premier of the Free State. I have not received the resignation…

“The province is processing that matter. She informed me that she is going to resign today,” said Mbalula.

ANC Free State conference

Ntombela’s imminent resignation comes after she lost the chairperson position of the ANC in the Free State in January during the party’s 9th Provincial Elective Conference.

Former Free State ANC interim provincial committee convenor, Mxolisi Dukwana, was elected to the position and is widely expected to be the next premier of the province.

RELATED: Dukwana just waiting for Luthuli House rubber stamp to become FS premier

While Mbalula said he had not seen or received Ntombela’s resignation letter, he said he would engage with the Free State on the matter.

“There is no crisis. The people of the Free State and everywhere else must understand that there is no crisis. These things of changing positions do happen… we concur with the changes that are about to happen.”

He said the newly elected ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) in the Free State had already taken a decision to restructure government.

“That decision is not a unilateral decision by the province. They had to engage with the national officials; which they did. Those matters have now reached a conclusion. The national officials working with the province are processing that matter,” said Mbalula.

Smooth transition process

The ANC secretary-general added that the governing party did not want the provincial government to be disrupted.

He said they were expecting the transition process to be smooth.

“The Free State is not the first province to be affected by such changes. [Former Gauteng premier] David Makhura was reshuffled by the province and there was a smooth transition. So, we expect that to happen even in the Free State.

“We don’t want drama because it is unnecessary. Our people are not interested in positions and all of that. They are interested in faster service delivery and ensuring that we live up to our talk.”

NOW READ: Dukwana set to become Free State’s next Premier