Supra Mahumapelo

RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – FEBRUARY 25: North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo during the State of the Province Address in Marikana on February 25, 2018 in North West, South Africa. Mahumapelo said that when he took office in June 2014 accruals amounted to R1-billion but he has successfully reduced that to R750-billion in the last financial year. (Photo by Gallo Images / Sowetan / Mduduzi Ndzingi)

Supra Mahumapelo leaves provincial task team ahead of 2019 elections

Things are looking bleak for the ANC at the moment.

Supra Mahumapelo

RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – FEBRUARY 25: North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo during the State of the Province Address in Marikana on February 25, 2018 in North West, South Africa. Mahumapelo said that when he took office in June 2014 accruals amounted to R1-billion but he has successfully reduced that to R750-billion in the last financial year. (Photo by Gallo Images / Sowetan / Mduduzi Ndzingi)

Those who have followed the movements of former North West premier and ANC provincial spokesperson, Supra Mahumapelo, very closely would agree that his notice of resignation from the provincial task team is highly questionable.

The timing of the departure says much about his commitment to bringing the North West province over to the ANC, come election time.

Read – Supra Mahumapelo might be going, but he is far from gone

Supra Mahumapelo calls it quits

News24 reported, on Monday, that the embattled premier has withdrawn from the provincial task team. His inclusion in it was a questionable move from the ANC’s national working committee.

Earlier this year, the province fell into violent protests over Supra’s removal for claims that he and his provincial executive committee was knee-deep in corruption and plummeting through public funds with the Guptas as their main link.

Read – Supra Mahumapelo takes an ego-trip as his powers are set to be blunted

Moreover, News24 reported that

His government was also linked to numerous claims of corruption, some involving the controversial Gupta family which is accused of using its close relationship with former president Jacob Zuma to loot state coffers. President Cyril Ramaphosa also put Mahumapelo’s government under administration.

In a letter sent by Mahumapelo to ANC secretary general Ace Magashule, the former provincial chair complains that the dissolution of his PEC was “nothing else but a purge” and went against the spirit of the ANC of unity and renewal. The letter was sent to News24 by the North West PTT spokesperson Kabelo Mataboge.

Read – PEC reject Supra Mahumapelo’s resignation, crowds cause chaos

Supra takes charge at ANC top brass

The rhetoric of a divided ANC is shaping itself up a lot more now than ever. Ironically, it is the party’s top brass who are pushing out this narrative,

Supra, in his letter, wrote that

“there is a group within the NEC and the province which started working on this ‘project dissolve’ just before and after Nasrec,”

Read – Supra Mahumapelo sparks resignation speculation with “letter” promise

The newly established task team was obviously an insult to Supra and his supporters. His view on its existence says much about how he feels about the party he has served for many years.

“When they have done so much damage to the ANC, I can’t be part of this,” he wrote in conclusion.

Kabelo Mataboge, the provincial task team’s spokesperson, acknowledged that the party was aware of his letter and were happy to accept his decision.

“Obviously we would have liked for him to participate but he has made a personal decision not to,” he stated.