Limpopo speaker reshuffle

POLOKWANE – The ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) replaced the speaker of the provincial legislature, Merriam Ramadwa at a meeting on Monday.

After serving as speaker for only a year, Ramadwa will be replaced by Paulina “Polly” Boshielo, who was recently recalled from Cape Town, where she had been a member of parliament and is now a member of the Limpopo Legislature.

ANC provincial secretary, Nocks Seabi, said the ANC was busy with intervention to increase capacity in service delivery.

“Our decision to redeploy the speaker and replace her with Boshielo comes after an assessment was done and the assessment report showed change needed to be made for the improvement of service delivery. Ramadwa will remain speaker until we are done with the implementation of the resolution and then Boshielo’s appointment as speaker will come in affect,” Seabi said.

He added that the decision to appoint Boshielo as speaker was due to her experience and that the ANC believed she would rise to the challenge.

According to Seabi, Ramadwa would be redeployed as a member of the provincial legislature.

DA provincial leader, Jacques Smalle, said it was clear that the ANC was under great strain and pressure in Limpopo, as it removed and recalled its representatives in municipal and provincial governments.

“The ANC’s recent questionable deployments into public office, are equally concerning. In particular, the deployees to the offices of municipal managers and mayors at local government level remain a serious cause for concern. In replacing Ramadwa, the ANC must take a serious look at the merits of each possible candidate and must comply with the Constitution and the rules of the house. The DA will call for a division at the election of a new speaker to ensure all votes are placed on record,” Smalle said.

He added that a speaker should be transparent, someone with respect for the rule of law and democratical principles passed in the house.

“It is critical to the DA that procedures be flowed to ensure the person elected as speaker is not someone who receives instruction from Luthuli House, as this will jeopardise the democratical principles in house,” Smalle said.