A cabinet reshuffle looks imminent in the North West, just over two months after the ruling party’s provincial conference, during which premier Bushy Maape lost the race for chairmanship to Nono Maloyi.
Sunday World has established that ANC North West secretary Louis Diremelo has written to the provincial legislature to amend the list of the party’s candidates, a move indicating that appointments of new members of the executive committee (MECs) are on the cards.
Maloyi, a former MEC, looks set to replace Maape as the premier of the province.
In a letter seen by Sunday World to the office of the speaker of the legislature, Diremelo requested Maloyi, Lazarus Mokgosi and Elizabeth Mokua to be roped in as members of the legislature (MPLs), paving the way for them to be eligible to be appointed as MECs.
He also asked former finance MEC Wendy Nelson to be made an MPL.
In November Nelson, who had a short stint as premier in 2019, was acquitted on a charge of fraud related to the appointment of former North West health’s head of department Dr Andrew Lekalakala.
“The African National Congress as guided by the provisions of item 21 of the Electoral Act 73 of 1998 [Schedule 1A] hereby review its undepleted lists as supplemented,” states the letter.
Last week, secretary of the legislature Lutendo Netshitumbu acceded to Diremelo’s request and published an amended list of candidates to the provincial legislature.
The North West becomes the latest province of the ANC to effect a cabinet reshuffle as the ruling party prepares for its national elective conference in December.
In what was interpreted as a “payback time” move, Limpopo premier Stan Mathabatha changed his cabinet a fortnight ago, dropping Dickson Masemola as social development MEC.
Mathabatha also axed education MEC Polly Boshielo and her sports counterpart, Thandi Moraka. Masemola lost in his contest with Mathabatha for the position of ANC provincial chairperson in June.
Earlier in October, former Gauteng MEC for education Panyaza Lesufi ascended to the position of premier of the country’s economic heartland. This comes months after Lesufi was elected as the provincial chairperson of the ANC in Gauteng in June.
Former premier David Makhura still had 18 months before the end of his term in office. However, a strong push by the so-called Adiwele grouping resulted in Makhura leaving office.
Makhura had also indicated earlier in the year that he wanted to hand over the baton to Lesufi.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the new leadership of the ANC did not waste time before bringing in changes to the provincial cabinet.
Just after over a month, premier Sihle Zikalala was recalled after losing a bruising battle for the chairpersonship of the ANC to Siboniso Duma, who was appointed as the MEC for economic development, environmental affairs and tourism.
Zikalala was replaced by Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
In Mpumalanga, ANC chairperson Mandla Ndlovu was appointed MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, just a few months after the party’s provincial conference.
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