LIMPOPO – Several ANC bigwigs under the tutelage of Zuma, have graced Limpopo this week in what is believed to be the ‘second leg’ of the president’s reshuffle, inculcated down to provinces.
Last week, Zuma reshuffled his cabinet, replacing nine cabinet ministers, including the Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan and his deputy, Mcebisi Jonas.
The move has opened a can of worms for the president and his political associates sending tongues wagging in the province and even beyond the country’s borders. The reshuffling has also widened cracks within the ANC and its tripartite alliance.
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, party Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe and Treasurer-General Zweli Mkhize were equally perturbed. The three have gone public about their discomfort saying they did not support the reshuffle as the party’s top brass, including members of the national working committee and national executive committee were not consulted in the decision.
Sources within the presidency told CV last week that a plan to oust Mathabatha as ANC Provincial Chairperson, and premier, was on the cards.
The source said Mathabatha was ordered to hand in his resignation to the party’s Provincial Secretary, Nocks Seabi, something Mathabatha is said to not have done.
“The president was perturbed about the Auditor General’s report which painted a bleak future for the province financially and economically. The report indicated that Limpopo is the worst performing province in the country and that Health, which is under the stewardship of MEC Ishmael Kgetjepe, was the worst performing department in South Africa. The last straw was that Mathabatha went on to speak ill of, vilifying the president at the ANC’s Provincial General Council on Sunday,” said the source privy to the news.
Two sources from the tripartite alliance and one from the party’s Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) confirmed that Mathabatha said South Africa deserved better and, going to the elections in December, members should elect correctly by choosing people who would have the best interest of all at heart and not those who will use their common sense to take radical decisions that would later come back to haunt the nation,” CV was told.
“The president has dispatched a sizeable number of senior ANC leaders to Limpopo to effect serious changes and by the end of the week, serious changes would be seen in Limpopo,” said the source.
On Monday, the ANC in Limpopo called an urgent PEC meeting to discuss issues relating to the situation in Vuwani.
According to the party, the meeting, held at the ANC’s provincial headquarters in Frans Mohlala House, was held to discuss only the Vuwani matter and nothing else.
Those in the know, however, claim Mathabatha had been called to Mahlabandlovu House in Pretoria where he was given the matching orders, “he was told to make way for a new premier”.
CV learned those tipped to replace Mathabatha may include former Waterberg Mayor, Rosina Mogotloane, former Education MEC, Dickson Masemola and current MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Makoma Makhurupetsa. Makhurupetsa is also Limpopo ANC Deputy Provincial Secretary.
“But the president was only impressed by Mogotloane’s presentation. It was exuberantly packaged, balanced and charted a way forward billed to redeem the province from the brinks of collapse,’ said a source privy to the news in the presidency.
The special PEC meeting today is just a formality and by the end of the week, a new premier would have been announced,” the source said.
Mathabatha could not be drawn into comment but his spokesperson, Kenny Mathiba said it remained allegations that the premier was being recalled.
“All this is aimed at derailing the premier from doing what he does best – delivering exuberant services to the residents of Limpopo,” he said.
ANC Provincial Spokesperson, Khumbudzo Ntshaveni brushed aside the reshuffling allegations.
“The PEC is not considering any motion against the Chairperson of the ANC in Limpopo. The PEC has equally not discussed the performance of the premier or considered recommending his removal by the president. The PEC knows the president holds the prerogative to appoint or to recall premiers. We have never sent or authorised a delegation either to ANC national officials, or the president, lobbying for the recalling of the premier,” Ntshavheni said on Tuesday.
thoko@nmgroup.co.za
