Johannesburg - The DA in Mpumalanga is anxious that David Mabuza should be replaced quickly as premier because of his health problems.
The province’s DA leader, James Masango, made this call last week – two months after Mabuza took ill.
By contrast, the DA in the Northern Cape waited 14 months for the ANC to appoint a successor after the premier, Hazel Jenkins, had a stroke and collapsed while giving the state of the province address on February 17, 2012.
The MEC for Education, Grizelda Cjiekella-Lecholo, took over as acting premier until April 2013, when the ANC’s national and provincial executive committees appointed Sylvia Lucas as premier.
Lucas had been MEC for environmental affairs and conservation.
Cjiekella-Lecholo died in August.
The Northern Cape ANC’s then-spokeswoman, Gail Parker, said it had been agreed that Jenkins would be medically boarded.
“We deliberated over the medical opinions and reports from her doctor. We felt it appropriate to grant her the space and time to recover, without any pressure to see if she was medically fit to resume her duties,” Parker said.
In Mpumalanga, the DA wants Mabuza to go now.
Masango said it was an insult to citizens that MEC for Safety, Security and Liaison Vusi Shongwe had been sworn in for a second time as acting premier.
“The time has come for the ANC to show decisive leadership,” he said.
“Instead of burdening the province with an acting premier; they must stand up and support the opposition parties’ call for the appointment of a new premier.
“It is rumoured Premier David Mabuza was placed on ‘indefinite’ sick leave after he collapsed, allegedly due to fatigue, in September.”
Of most concern was that there had not been any official communication from the Premier’s Office or the Office of the Speaker about Mabuza’s return to his role as premier, Masango said.
“Members elected into the same legislature as Premier Mabuza have had to rely on the media and the conflicting statements of ANC officials to get some idea of how long the province will have to go without a premier.
“While the DA sympathises with Premier Mabuza and wishes him a speedy recovery, the province cannot continue to function under the current level of uncertainty.”
Masango said that as it was, Shongwe had been struggling to fulfil his duties as MEC.
“The safety, security and liaison report for the 2014/15 financial year has shown MEC Shongwe needs to put shoulder to the wheel and work on improving his department.
“The ANC has for a long time labelled Mpumalanga as one of its strongholds. The situation (raises) the question of how strong this hold is if the ANC can’t simply select a premier candidate when the premier’s extended absence clearly demonstrates his inability to fulfil his constitutional mandate.
“The ANC’s continued tiptoeing around the premier’s absence is another indication of the cracks in the party as everybody is seemingly too scared to take a stand and do what is best for the province.
“If the ANC was confident of its support, it would not be having so much trouble finding a person capable of (becoming) premier of Mpumalanga.”
The ANC’s provincial spokesman, Simon Skhosana, said Mabuza has been asked by his medical team to rest until he was fit enough to resume his duties.
“The doctors would give an indication on when the premier was likely to go back to work.
“It was on this basis that the ANC agree (to this), in spite of the challenges faced by the ANC in the province and which need the premier’s guidance. We agreed Premier Mabuza should take it easy for the sake of his health.”
- The Sunday Independent