Ramaphosa yet to hear from Mahumapelo on his leave decision
The Presidency says it would be courteous for Mahumapelo to inform the president about the decision.
President Cyril Ramaphosa listens to debate in Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa Feb. 15, 2018, prior to being sworn in. Ramaphosa replaces Jacob Zuma who resigned Wednesday. (Mike Hutchings, Pool via AP)
Eye Witness News (EWN) reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa has not received an official brief as to why North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo has gone on indefinite leave in the wake of preparations by the provincial government to bring stability to the troubled province.
Protests broke out in North West after the provincial African National Congress (ANC) leadership said the beleaguered premier, who is also the chairperson of the ANC in the province, had been persuaded not to resign as he had previously announced.
A handful of protesters barricaded roads with burning tyres in Montshioa on Wednesday night.
Mahumapelo announced on Tuesday that he would resign Wednesday by midday. However, he made an about turn, saying the ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) wanted to first discuss the issue.
The PEC announced after the meeting yesterday that the premier, who faces allegations of corruption, was no longer resigning and had instead taken “leave of absence”. North West Finance MEC Wendy Nelson was appointed acting North West premier.
On Thursday morning, the protests continued. Residents in Montshioa and Seweding burned tyres in response to the ANC’s decision.
EWN quotes Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko, as saying: “He is the head of the executive and in this instance, it would be courtesy for the premier to inform the president, but we don’t have any official correspondence at this point.”
– additional reporting by ANA
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