Top Free State ANC leaders are said to be at loggerheads with Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae over her alleged “dictatorship” style of leadership.
Letsoha-Mathae is facing arrest after she defied a Bloemfontein High Court order over administrative meddling in two departments.
Last week, Sunday World reported that the head of the department (HOD) for human settlements, Mosa Masitha, dragged Letsoha-Mathae to court after she was reshuffled to the Department of Social Development.
Masitha challenged her reshuffling in court and won, however, Letsoha-Mathae refused to rescind her decision in defiance of a court order.
Insiders within the ANC PEC claim the governing party leadership tried to engage Letsoha-Mathae regarding her style of leadership. However, she allegedly told them that they did not appoint her as a premier and that she was not going to be told how she should run her government.
In a heated meeting at the ANC’s offices at Kaizer Sebothelo House, she received instructions to follow the rules.
“The arrogance of MaQueen is out of this world. She doesn’t want to listen to her political leaders, and then she goes and makes mistakes. The PEC tried to tell her that she was in government on the ticket of the ANC but she told the PEC that she was not answering to it,” said a PEC member.
Another ANC senior leader said Letsoha-Mathae was reminded about how the PEC came to her defence when the ANCYL provincial leaders had dragged her over the coals over the appointment of the MEC of Health Viceroy Mahlatsi.
“It looks like the power went to her head as she does as she pleases in the government, reshuffling HODs left, right and centre. How do you reshuffle an official who is well experienced in running human settlements and agriculture and put them in the departments they have no knowledge of in terms of running? Her actions will bring this government to its knees. She is still excited that she is now a premier for five years, while she is
fumbling,” said an insider.
It is understood that officials in the Department of Human Settlements are also confused about who to report to between Masitha and the former social development HOD, Tumelo Phahlo.
“The confusion among people stems from the presence of two HODs in a single department. Mosa dealt with MaQueen in court, but Tumelo is also saying that he was transferred to human settlements.
“It’s total chaos. Even Saki [Mokoena-MEC of Corporate Affairs and Human Settlements] doesn’t want to work with Mosa,” said an official in the department.
PEC members are said to have told the premier that she was bringing the Free State government into disrepute. ANC provincial spokesperson Jabu Mbalula said: “The ANC in the Free State has not been briefed about any arrest, imminent or otherwise. As far as we are concerned, there is no need for the ANC to revolt against the Premier. We will communicate if this position changes.”
Premier’s spokesperson Tshidiso Nkgwedi did not respond to detailed questions sent to him when he was asked to comment.
