Opposition against North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo is snowballing. African National Congress (ANC) alliance partners, civil organisations and opposition parties want to see the back of him.
The Hawks raided the Premier’s office last week. They were investigating fraud and corruption in his office. This was related to a multi-million IT tender.
Pressure is mounting on the embattled Premier. Once powerful, he was part of the so-called Premier League and a staunch former President Jacob Zuma supporter.
Now the walls around him are crumbling.
Last week, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) wrote to the provincial Speaker, requesting a debate on a motion of no confidence against the Premier.
Now alliance partners are calling on Mahumapelo to step down.
“The fact that investigations are continuing for us this presents a crisis. Now our position is that logically we will expect the premier guided by his conscious to say to us as an alliance how he will want us as a collective to deal with this situation,” says SACP’s Provincial Chairperson, Smuts Matshe.
“Sanco’s view is the same as those who said earlier that the premier must recuse himself especially after the raid by the Hawks in his office. It is evident that something is not right. Now the raid makes us to be convinced that indeed he must just go,”says SA National Civic Organisation’s (Sanco) Provincial Secretary, Packet Seaketso.
However, the ANC in Limpopo says the matter should be dealt with internally within structures.
“We have taken a position and the alliance is fully aware since 2015 that we are not going to engage with our alliance partners in media. If there are issues alliance partners must engage the ANC. We have meetings with them and we are still available if they want to engage,” says ANC provincial secretary, Susan Dantjie.
Rolling mass action has been planned this week by civil society organisations.
