Government to put North West under administration

Parliament spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo has confirmed to media that the national government is to take over the administration of the North West province under Section 100 of the Constitution.

This follows reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa has written to the National Council of Provinces to notify them of his decision to intervene in the troubled province.

The National Council of Provinces will now begin a process, lasting not more than six months, to implement cabinet’s decision to take over the administration of the trouble-torn North West province.

Parliament has confirmed that President Ramaphosa wrote to NCOP Chairperson Thandi Modise on Friday to inform her of the decision.  Mothapo explains the processes which will follow the President’s letter to the NCOP.

“The House must initiate a process that should not exceed 180-days which will entail referring the matter to a committee or committees of the House to begin a work that will entail making an independent assessment of the conditions in the North West province, and the circumstances under which this decision was taken, whether such an intervention is warranted or not.”

Premier Supra Mahumapelo went on leave in the past week after stating that he would resign, following widespread unrest in the province by protesters demanding his removal.

He appointed MEC Wendy Nelson as acting premier, but critics have said the move was illegal and unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, the Inter-ministerial Task Team on the North West province, led by Minister in the Presidency, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will meet in Pretoria on Monday to discuss its report on the state of governance in the province.