'I won't resign until the PEC has met' - Mahumapelo
9 May 2018
Embattled North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo will not officially announce his decision to step down from his role as head of the province on Wednesday morning as expected.
A message from his office told journalists that the briefing had been "postponed indefinitely".
The advisory said this was due to new developments overnight.
"The provincial leadership of the ANC has directed that I not resign until the PEC has met today," Mahumapelo told News24 on Wednesday morning.
It's understood an emergency meeting had been called to discuss his decision.
The premier told News24 on Tuesday: "Tomorrow I am packing my bags and going home."
He also confirmed to the SABC that he was stepping down. Earlier, he told the Speaker of the North West provincial legislature that he would submit a letter to her before Friday.
The ANC provincial executive committee had also "apprehensively" accepted his resignation, it said in a late night statement. At this stage, there is no clear reason why it would have backtracked from this position.
The North West province has been embroiled in violent protests as ANC members and residents called for Mahumapelo to resign.
The province has also been rocked by allegations of widespread corruption, with Mahumapelo's office having been raided by specialised policing unit the Hawks over alleged corruption and maladministration.
The North West health department has also been placed under administration by President Cyril Ramaphosa. He has also appointed an inter-ministerial committee to assess the state of the province.
Members of the National Health and Allied Workers Union had also been refusing to work for over two months. News24
North West ANC PEC refused to let Mahumapelo resign
The ANC's North West provincial executive committee (PEC) says it instructed its chairperson Supra Mahumapelo to not resign as premier of the province.
This was confirmed by the province's acting secretary Susan Dantjie at a media briefing, following an emergency PEC meeting in Mahikeng, North West.
Pressure had been mounting on Mahumapelo to step down as premier and for his PEC to be disbanded.
He told SABC and News24 on Tuesday evening that he would be stepping down and the ANC in the province released a statement, saying it accepting his resignation with "apprehension".
"The PEC has instructed the premier to withdraw his resignation because he did so without informing the party. Only the ANC can recall its deployee," Dantjie said to the media.
Pressure had been mounting over the past few weeks for the premier to step down and it has also led to violent protests throughout parts of the platinum-rich province.
Mahumapelo has been criticised for running the province with an iron fist and for dealing ruthlessly with his detractors.
The campaign to remove Mahumapelo has given rise to the birth of the Revolutionary Council, which rallied people behind calls for the premier to fall. Some of his former allies also bandied together in a pursuit to rid the province of his reign.
The province has also been marred by allegations of corruption and maladministration. This year, the Hawks raided his office and the provincial health department collapsed, following a protracted strike by workers at public clinics.
Dantjie also announced that Mahumapelo would be put on leave but could not say when, for how long or who would play the role of acting premier in his absence.
"The premier will be on leave until consultations are done and to allow the inter-ministerial committee to conclude its work and then a decision would be made," said Dantjie.
The acting secretary also insisted that President Cyril Ramaphosa had not instructed Mahumapelo to step down.
Update:
North West appoints finance MEC as acting premier while Mahumapelo is "on leave"
Following the announcement that Supra Mahumapelo would take "a leave of absence", the North West provincial executive committee has moved to appoint Wendy Nelson in the position in an acting capacity.
There was confusion as the ANC in the North West announced on Tuesday night that embattled Mahumapelo had resigned as premier. But on Wednesday morning, he stood defiant and said he won't be going anywhere.
Mahumapelo's spokesperson Brian Setswambung confirmed to News24 that Mahumapelo was "officially on leave following discussions in the ANC PEC (provincial executive committee)".
Setswambung said Nelson had been appointed in an acting capacity.
Earlier, News24 reported that the ANC's North West PEC had instructed Mahumapelo to not resign, but later it was confirmed he was on leave.
Pressure had been mounting on Mahumapelo to step down as premier and for his PEC to be disbanded.
He told SABC and News24 on Tuesday evening that he would be stepping down and the ANC in the province released a statement, saying it accepting his resignation with "apprehension".
"The PEC has instructed the premier to withdraw his resignation because he did so without informing the party. Only the ANC can recall its deployee," Dantjie said to the media earlier on Wednesday.
News24 reported that Mahumapelo had been criticised for running the province with an iron fist and for dealing ruthlessly with his detractors.
