Musical chairs in the North West continue with the incumbent Premier Job Mokgoro being forced to make way for another African National Congress (ANC) veteran.
Just a week after Mokgoro sacked Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement, and Traditional Affairs MEC Saviour Cwaile, he is being asked to resign.
The ANC interim provincial committee (IPC) in the North West wants 73-year-old Mokgoro to make way for another party veteran Kaobitsa Bushie Maape.
On Tuesday, disgruntled residents gathered outside the premier’s office to protest against poor services.
The same day the ANC in North West said it welcomed the decision of the National Executive Committee to deploy a veteran with extensive experience in both the movement and government.
The process to deploy Cde Maape followed the interviews of three candidates that were recommended to the national structures by the IPC.
“As we welcome this decision, the IPC further wishes to convey its gratitude to the outgoing Premier, Cde. Job Mokgoro for his sterling work of guiding the provincial government during the most turbulent times as the Premier,” said the ANC.
“His administrative skills are not lost to the people of our province, and the ANC will continue to benefit from them.”
The ANC said the appointment of Maape as premier-elect would entrench the work done by the party-led provincial government.
In working together with the IPC and various provincial stakeholders, Maape will lead from the front as we continue to battle Covid 19 and economic challenges.
Maape was recruited into the ANC underground structures while a student at Hebron Training College.
He is a former commander of ANC underground Kgalagadi Machinery, which led to his incarceration on Robben Island in the 1980s.
After the democratic dispensation, he later served as the Chairperson of the ANC in the former Kgalagadi Region.
As part of his public service career, he served as the Director: RDP and Chief Director: Strategic Planning and Development Unit in the Office of the Premier, North West Province.
He was later appointed to the Ministerial Advisory Committee of the Department of Provincial and Local Government and also a member of the Municipal Demarcation Board representing the North West.
Maape possesses a BA (Psychology and Economics from UNISA, which he completed while incarcerated in Robben Island; BA (Hons) (Developmental Studies) from UWC and BA (Hons) (Economics) from UWC.
He is currently studying with the University of the Witwatersrand for a MM in the Field of Governance (Political Development and Economics).
“We take this opportunity to congratulate Cde Bushy Maape and wish him well in his new responsibility,” said the ANC.
“A Comrade of his credentials understands that ours is a National Democratic Revolution whose objective is to build a South Africa where all our people are free from poverty, unemployment, and inequality.
“We call on the people of our province to welcome Cde Kaobitsa Bushy Maape and join hands with the Premier-elect in this struggle against poverty, unemployment and inequality.”
No date has been announced for the new mayor to take over.
