Suspended Supra: Will he still get a salary from Parliament?

Now that former premier Supra Mahumapelo has been temporarily suspended from the ANC, it is up to Luthuli House to decide whether he will still get paid for his day job as chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tourism.

On Wednesday, the interim provincial committee (IPC) of the ANC in the North West wrote to Mahumapelo, saying he faced suspension while a disciplinary process against him would be ongoing.

The IPC, which accused Mahumapelo of sowing ill-discipline and division in the ANC, has since written to the office of embattled ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, saying Mahumapelo’s role in Parliament should be “regulated”.

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The secretary-general’s office is expected to determine whether Mahumapelo will be on the sidelines with a salary income or not.

Mahumapelo and his ally, acting provincial ANC Women’s League secretary Bitsa Lekonpane, are currently appearing before the party’s disciplinary committee in the North West.

They stand accused of convening parallel rallies aimed at disuniting the party in the province.

The rally took place metres from a Siyanqoba rally which was organised by the North West’s IPC in Mareetsane in December 2020.

Mahumapelo is accused of telling the criminally charged embattled JB Marks Municipality’s mayor, Kgotso Khumalo, not to step aside.

When Mahumapelo was manhandled by police in Free State while he showed up to support Magashule, many saw this as a sign of his downward slide. Now his party membership has temporarily been suspended.

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Its co-ordinator, Hlomane Chauke, said: “He is in the NEC list to National parliament, so his participation in the National Assembly will be regulated by the secretary-general.

“If your membership of that party is suspended, we don’t suspend you from the fact that you’re no longer a deployed member at the level of the party meaning that you will not go to parliament. A party will just regulate your participation.”

He added the ANC must have full control over Mahumapelo’s movements in the party.

“They will still do their normal work, but the ANC will then have authority over that member. There are certain things that he or she may not do on behalf of the ANC.”

Chauke said this action against Mahumapelo had been long in coming.

“There have been letters in which we’ve been communicating with the comrade dating back to 2019, not now. So, this thing is just not new. But we’ve arrived at a point where we do not have any other option but to get to this level where we are now,” Chauke said.

Pule Letshwiti-Jones