OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Monday 1.20pm.
THE Inkatha Freedom Party sacked KwaZulu-Natal premier Dr Ben Ngubane and education MEC Vincent Zulu at the weekend because of poor matric results in the province.
Arts, Culture, Science and Technology Minister Lionel Mtshali is expected to replace Ngubane as premier, and Public Works Deputy Minister Eileen Shandu is to replace Zulu.
In a joint statement on Sunday, IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Ngubane said the province’s poor matric results and IFP internal differences were the reasons for the redeployment. The decision, Buthelezi said, was made on January 28 at a meeting of the IFP’s executive.
He vehemently dismissed speculation that Ngubane has been removed over a simmering dispute relating to his handling of gambling in the province. This comes after Ngubane dismissed claims last week that his job was on the line after the provincial government twice rejected the provincial gambling board’s recommendations for preferred bidders for Durban licences.
Business Day reported on Monday that one of the bidders was John Aspinall, said to be a close friend of Buthelezi’s.
“While recognising that the KwaZulu-Natal government and its leadership have tried their utmost best to make the province’s education system a successful one, it is clear that this year’s matric results have shown that even their best was objectively not good enough,” Sunday’s statement said. It added that the IFP accepted responsibility for the results and has undertaken to address the situation, “if needs be with drastic measures”.