/ 24 June 2013

We are not firing Mathale, says ANC

We Are Not Firing Mathale, Says Anc

"Those reports are absolutely untrue," provincial task team spokesperson Sello Lediga said on Monday. "The task team has no authority to fire the premier. That decision lies with the president [Jacob Zuma]."

He said the task team had never discussed Mathale's future as it did not have the authority to decide on this.

On Monday, the Star newspaper reported that the provincial task team had decided to fire Mathale, and had asked Luthuli House for permission to implement the decision.

At a meeting last week, the task team reportedly also took a decision to recall three district mayors aligned with Mathale.

'Completely untrue'
​The newspaper made reference to unnamed sources who said a decision had been taken to recall Mopani district mayor Joshua Matlou, Sekhukhune district mayor Shoes Magabe, and Lawrence Mapoulo of the Capricorn District Municipality.

Lediga said this was also "completely untrue".

In March, the ANC took a decision to disband the ANC Youth League's national executive committee (NEC) and the Limpopo ANC provincial executive committee (PEC).

ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said the decision was taken at a three-day NEC meeting.

Later in March, Zuma said: "The [ANC] NEC collective decided to dissolve the NEC of the youth league precisely because of its continued ill-disciplined behaviour, which has brought the organisation into disrepute on numerous occasions.

"On the same measure, we further decided to dissolve the Limpopo PEC because of institutionalised factionalism, which is un-ANC [sic]." –  Sapa