Former Gauteng Premier David Makhura missed a chance to be in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet by the skin of his teeth.
Makhura missed the opportunity by a whisker, according to sources within the ANC, who told Sunday World there had been last-minute lobbying to
include him on the amended province-to-national list of the party in Gauteng. It would have boosted his chances for a ministerial appointment
But the moves for Makhura to head for national government were overtaken by events after the party’s leadership in the province resolved to submit the names of Deputy President Paul Mashatile and Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Parks Tau.
Makhura had to be accommodated at Luthuli House as head of political education, a new full-time position.
Makhura had allegedly stalled when he was approached in the early stages of lobbying. This was because he had not heard from Ramaphosa whether he was planning to include him in the executive of the country.
It was only when Ramaphosa eventually reached out to him that there was a push to get him to parliament. However, the list had been amended and delivered to parliament and the names of Mashatile and Tau were already gazetted.
“By the time they came to us looking for space for Makhura, it was too late,” said our deep throat in the ANC provincial office. “They tried to squeeze him in, but the list had been amended and there was nothing that could be done to change it.”
The source said Makhura can now pin his hopes on getting to cabinet through the party’s IEC national-to-national list, a window that will only open in May. “But that too will be very difficult because there are many people on that list who want in, and the list can only be amended in May. Will the president reshuffle the cabinet just for one person? I doubt that.”
An insider at Luthuli House said Makhura’s problems started when he “left the system” following the election of the new ANC Gauteng PEC in July 2022 led by his successor Panyaza Lesufi.
According to the leader, Makhura, who was then the provincial chairperson, should have sought to remain an ordinary PEC member “to position himself strategically for national deployment”.
A provincial leader said Makhura’s stated his intention to take a break also contributed to his political prospects for graduation to the national space in law making and the executive diminishing.
“The man said he wanted to rest last year as soon as he left the provincial conference. He is very close to the president, so if he wanted to be a minister, he could have been. But the man wanted to rest after his stint as premier and provincial chair.
“He is a favourite of the president, who would choose him ahead of anyone. In fact, the president wanted him to be SG (secretary-general) last year but the man said he was tired.”
A confidant of Makhura said: “Maybe after the elections next year. That is highly possible. Number one likes him very much. They have a long-standing relationship. Remember number one is from Gauteng and Makhura has been running branches there forever. He is the longest-serving provincial secretary in the country. Starting in 1997, he worked until 2018.”
An ANC Ekurhuleni leader said: “It was clear the province’s priority was to get Mashatile to the Union Buildings. If they focused on pushing Makhura, then it could have compromised Paul’s chances. The risk was too high because number one also seemed reluctant to bring Paul on board. So, you did not want to give him a reason to counter the appointment.”
Makhura was elected into the all-powerful ANC national executive committee three months ago after almost six months in party political wilderness
following the election of Lesufi as provincial chairperson in July 2022.
Makhura said yesterday he loved being at Luthuli House and it was an honor. He explained, “there were other options and areas of interest I was pursuing, inside and outside the government”. He denied “political machinations” to sideline him.
“Having left government in October 2022, the ANC national leadership knows that going back to government was never my first option, given a choice,” he said, adding that “the political education of members and development of the skills of ANC cadres has been both my passion and professional preoccupation for many years”.
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