Is ‘demoted’ MEC the latest casualty of North West ‘dictatorship’? (original) (raw)

Tebogo Modise was sworn in as mayor of the rural Ratlou local municipality on Tuesday 19 January 2016.

MEC last week ... mayor of one of the country’s poorest municipalities this week. Although Tebogo Modise denies that her new position was a demotion, opposition parties have labelled her as another casualty of what they called the dictatorship in the North West.

Provincial government spokesperson Brian Setswambung said Modise, who had been North West arts and culture MEC, resigned “after branches of the ANC urged for her removal and the party’s [provincial executive committee] approached the administration asking for the same”.

“As government we don’t have reasons for her resignation. It was a request from the [provincial executive committee],” he said.

Modise was sworn in as mayor of the rural Ratlou local municipality on Tuesday, at the municipal offices in Setlagole village, south of Mahikeng.

She has denied suggestions that she was “forced” to downgrade positions. Modise told City Press that she was “part of an ANC provincial leadership’s decision that I should go serve my people and I’m [only] too happy to be back home at Ratlou where I was born and grew up.

“I travelled the whole province in my previous position and now I am happy that my focus will be my own community. I was never pushed in any way to be here,” she said.

The ANC was yet to issue any statements on Modise’s resignation and subsequent redeployment.

Opposition parties believed, however, that it had to do with ANC provincial chairperson and Premier Supra Mahumapelo’s “dictatorship” and “factional politics”.

“What is happening in this province is a clear-cut indication of disarray. You can feel it ... it’s tense among cadres,” said Democratic Alliance North West leader Joe McGluwa.

“For us the most crucial thing is continuity and service delivery, which will be affected by the current circus going on in the province. For them, everything is all about cadre deployment, friends and family while they have lost focus of the core issue of service delivery.”

Economic Freedom Fighters leader in the provincial legislature, Alfred Motsi, asked: “What effect was Modise expected to have on Ratlou just months before the local government elections?”

“We blame the national executive committee for allowing [Mahumapelo] to turn the North West into a homeland where he does what he wants and if you don’t agree with him he gets rid of you. If they don’t stop him now they will send this province to the dogs,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mahumapelo’s office said he was in no rush to reshuffle his cabinet. A reshuffle was expected because there were two vacant MEC positions – one left by Modise and the local government and housing position, which Collen Maine vacated to take up his position as the ANC Youth League president in November.

“Acting MECs were appointed in vacant positions and there is no pressure to reshuffle. The current arrangement continues,” Setswambung said.

He said Finance, Economic and Enterprise MEC Wendy Nelson would continue acting in Maine’s former position while Agriculture MEC Manketse Tlhape was this week appointed to act in Modise’s former portfolio.

Mahumapelo’s political adviser Ontlametse Mochware and South African Communist Party provincial chairperson Nicholas Motlhabane were sworn in as members of the provincial legislature last week.

The two were filling vacancies left by Modise and Gordon Kegakilwe, who both resigned this month. Mochware and Motlhabane were believed to be waiting for MEC positions.