An afternoon media briefing where Free State premier Sisi Ntombela was expected to formally announce her resignation has been called off, said the office of the premier on Tuesday.
This after ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula confirmed earlier in the day that Ntombela has informed him of her intention to tender her resignation. Mbalula informed the media that Ntombela called him on Monday and said she will formally resign on Tuesday.
“[The premier] contacted me yesterday [Monday] to inform me of her intention to resign. But she has not submitted her resignation [letter] yet,” said Mbalula.
According to Mbalula, the developments do not point to a crisis in Free State or in the ruling party, because “this thing of people changing positions happens”.
He said the provincial executive committee (PEC) in Free State is handling the matter, and noted that there should be a smooth transition of leadership.
In January, Sunday World quoted ANC and Free State PEC insiders as saying Mxolisi Dukwana was warming up to become the next premier.
Ntombela and Dukwana were contesting for the position of ANC chairperson during a provincial elective conference held in January, where Ntombela failed to garner sufficient support.
According to senior ANC leaders in the province, Ntombela was dealt a huge blow in the election race because she is understood to be “still aligned to former controversial ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule”.
Ntombela, along her MECs excluding Dukwana, failed to make the final list of the PEC.
A member of the newly elected PEC said at the time: “Sisi’s rise to prominence was engineered by Ace and others in the [then] provincial executive council.
“Many MECs in Sisi’s cabinet were supporting her to be elected chairperson, but she failed to garner enough votes. What is worse is that Sisi and all her MECs failed to make an impact at the conference, except for Mxolisi, the MEC of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, who emerged as chairperson.
“Sisi will be the first to get the chop as a premier to make way for Mxolisi, then her MECs will follow. The State of the Province Address will be delivered by Mxolisi, not Sisi.”
Meanwhile, Deputy President David Mabuza’s intention to step down remains unclear after he tendered his resignation in January. It has since been reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa has turned down Mabuza’s resignation.
Mabuza told mourners at his brother’s funeral in Mpumalanga over a week ago that he had resigned to make way for the new ANC deputy president, Paul Mashatile, “who seemed impatient to assume the role in the Presidency”.
Mbalula has explained that it is not cast in stone that Mashatile must be the deputy president of the country because he was appointed deputy in the party.
He said it remains the prerogative of the president to decide who becomes his deputy. However, “the expectations of Mashatile being deputy are not far fetched”.
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