Cape Town - From once being considered a mover and shaker in the ANC, and a leading figure in the 'Premier League', former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo had a rude awakening when he stumbled out of bed on Friday morning.
In a late-night decision, the ANC’s national executive committee resolved to dissolve the North West provincial executive committee, months after violent protests forced Mahumapelo to step down.
In an ironic twist, the man delivering the news was ANC secretary general Ace Magashule, once a pivotal figure in the four-man 'Premier League' when he was still Free State premier, delivered the bad news to Mahumapelo.
Magashule addressing the media, said the NEC had resolved to dissolve the ANC in the North West province to “strengthen the organisation and enhance its capacity to meet its mandate to the people of the province”.
“The national executive committee agreed, in North West, after engaging with regions and branches of the ANC, as well as the provincial executive committee. We agreed to set up an inclusive provincial task team,” said Magashule.
He said the task team would be “seized” with the task of uniting the ANC, and “positioning it as an effective leader of society”.
Magashule would still be part of the provincial task team but it would be chaired by Job Mokgoro, the man who replaced him as North West premier in May.
Without delving into it, Magashule was reflecting on the violent protests which marred the province, and Mahumapelo’s leadership since he was re-elected, unopposed in 2015.
At the weekend, President Cyril Ramaphosa was in the Bojanala region, where there were calls on him to disband the ANC’s provincial executive. Mahumapelo was booed when he took to the stage.
Last year, the Mahikeng High Court nullified the outcome of the Bojanala elective conference on the eve of the party’s elective conference at Nasrec in Soweto. This after disgruntled ANC members sought relief from the court, charging that branch meeting was unconstitutionally convened.