Political analyst, Ralph Mathekga says Supra Mahumapelo’s days as North West Premier are numbered and it is just a matter of time before he is replaced.
Mahumapelo took leave of absence on Wednesday and appointed Finance MEC Wendy Nelson to be acting Premier.
This after he reneged on his pledge to resign and now the African National Congress (ANC)’s national leadership is left to decide his fate.
Mathekga says although there seems to be a consensus that Mahumapelo must go, there are divisions in the national leadership which he is using to his advantage.
“I don’t think he can survive but the reality is that he was never go without a fight. There is no way that Mahumapelo will stay where he is. The national leadership seems to communicate that they want him to go but we know within the national leadership of the ANC there are divisions and for the likes of Mahumapelo it is about the difference between stay in their position or go to jail.”
“They are using the platforms that they still have to be able to push against an investigation into their conduct in the past. At this point in time the ANC has to manage this in matter that they are not being seen castigating a faction in North West in a manner that could result in a cost to the party come 2019,” says Mathekga.
Meanwhile, another political analyst Lesiba Tefo says Mahumapelo’s arrogance could be attributed to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s failure to exercise his authority.
“They’ve been overly circumspect and cautious in taking the decision. Yes, the president is a process man but in the process of managing the process I think they allowed Mahumapelo and his team to regroup and to be much stronger had they taken the decision earlier,” says Tefo.
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