Chairperson of South Africa’s upper house of parliament Thandi Modise confirms she’s received President Cyril Ramaphosa’s letter informing it that the national executive has taken control of the entire NorthWest provincial government.
Two thirds of the local authorities in the corruption-plagued province have been placed under the control of the ministry of cooperative governance and traditional affairs.
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This is the first time the national executive has taken over an entire provincial administration.
Facing his most substantial test of leadership since becoming head of the ruling African National Congress last December, President Cyril Ramaphosa was forced to act when provincial premier Supra Mahumapelo reneged on his undertaking to resign and took an indefinite leave of absence.
Violent demonstrations demanding the sacking of Mahumapelo forced Ramaphosa to truncate his attendance at the Commonwealth summit in London last month.
His non-confrontational style has failed with Mahumaplo who was part of ousted president Jacob Zuma’s inner circle and maintains the graft-mired president should never have been forced out.
Significantly, Ramaphosa sent his minister in the presidency Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma as the head of a commission to investigate Mahumapelo’s rule and allegations that he was using the provincial government as a personal piggy bank.
Mahumapelo was one of the main backers of Dlamini Zuma in her toe-to-toe battle with Ramaphosa for the party leadership.
However, given the parlous state of the province’s finances, she had not option but to recommend his sacking