Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha is expected to fire five MECs when he reshuffles his cabinet next week.
This will be Mathabatha’s second cabinet reshuffle in less than four months.
The last cabinet reshuffle was in June this year when Mathabatha demoted his political rival Dickson Masemola, who challenged him and lost at the party’s provincial elective conference in June
He moved him from the Department of Public Works with a bigger budget to the Department of Social Development with less budget.
The long-awaited reshuffle was supposed to have happened last week, but was delayed after the province’s top five officials, led by Mathabatha, refused to give the ANC’s top four officials the names of the new MECs to be appointed t and those expected to be dismissed.
A senior PEC member, who did not want to be named, said Limpopo ANC ‘s top five officials, held a virtual meeting with the ruling party’s national chairperson Gwede Mantashe, Deputy President David ” DD” Mabuza, Treasurer-General Paul Mashatile and President Cyril Ramaphosa last week and deliberated on the reshuffle.
During the meeting, said the member, the party’s national officials asked the Limpopo officials to give them a list of the names of those facing the axe and their potential replacements.
“They refused to give them the list on the basis that previous meetings of the national officials have always been leaked to the public . You can imagine what the reaction would be if those facing the axe learn of their fate from these leaks. That will compromise the integrity and credibility of the entire process,” said the PEC member.
The other PEC member confirmed that the Limpopo officials met with their principals last week to discuss the plan to reshuffle.
“Their principals wanted the names of those facing the axe and those earmarked to replace them. Our officials refused to share the names with them to avoid possible leaks,” said the member.
” It was then agreed that they will have a physical meeting on Monday, where the names of those who are going to be fired and their replacements will be discussed. We expect the reshuffle to happen immediately after the meeting is concluded because we know who should go and who should remain.”
The member said the PEC has resolved that the MEC for Sports Thandi Moraka, MEC for Treasury Charlie Sekwati, MEC for Social Development Dickson Masemola, MEC for Agriculture Nandi Ndalani
and MEC for Education Polly Boshielo must be pink-slipped.
They are expected to be replaced by ANC Deputy Provincial Chairperson Florence Radzilana, Provincial Treasurer Nakedi Kekana- Sibanda and PEC members Rogers Monama, Sarah Mnyamane and Tshitereke Mathive.
Another PEC member, who also did not want to be named, alleged that Ramaphosa is uncomfortable with Mathabatha’s plan to reshuffle the cabinet because those facing the chop are his allies. “Ramaphosa is of the view that it shouldn’t be that if you didn’t make it to the PEC then your life is over as an ANC member. He wants both elected and unelected to play a role in his campaign,” said the member.
The members said Mathabatha is under pressure from PEC and branch members to reshuffle the cabinet and threatened to not support his campaign for the position of national chairman at the party’s national elective conference in December.
Mathabatha’s spokesperson Willy Mosoma said: “The premier has heard the views of the ANC PEC and he is currently applying his mind. As it stands now, the premier has not as yet made a determination on the matter. As you are well aware, executive council is in terms of the constitution, the sole responsibility of the premier is to constitute or reconfigure cabinet.”
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe said he was not aware of the meeting, and said he would respond later after speaking to Mashatile about the matter.
However, he had not done so at the time of publishing.
This is a developing story and his comment will be added when we receive it.
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