New Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa’s choice of cabinet has left senior provincial African National Congress members disgruntled, reports Makhosini Nkosi
Sevaral high profile African National Congress Gauteng leaders plan to meet this weekend in a bid to secure the intervention of the party’s national leadership to resolve problems that are threatening to destroy the party’s unity in the province.
Senior Gauteng ANC sources say last week’s selection of the provincial cabinet by Premier Mbhazima Shilowa has angered most branches, which could lead to a rebellion.
Shilowa’s cabinet has been labeled as factional and divisive. His detractors claim that he purged his cabinet of “Motshekga’s allies” in favour of his “communist friends”.
Only three of the MECs are not members of the South African Communist Party, and only one is seen as a Motshekga supporter.
Shilowa sacked three MECs from Motshekga’s cabinet and overlooked the former premier for a cabinet position. Motshekga had expected a senior cabinet appointment.
Former housing and land MEC Dan Mofokeng was dropped from the ANC’s election list, and was ruled out for a position in the provincial government. ANC Gauteng branches and regions are pressuring their national leaders to disclose the reason for Mofokeng’s axing.
Former MECs Joyce Kgoali, Sicelo Shiceka and Mofokeng are strong allies of Motshekga.
MEC for Sports and Recreation Mondli Gungubele is the only Motshekga supporter who survived the chop. However, he has been “demoted” from the high-profile health portfolio he held during the former premier’s administration.
Sources close to the sacked MECs say Shilowa has not only failed to unite the feuding factions in the Gauteng ANC, but that he has further widened the rift.
One claimed that Shilowa showed favouritism towards the anti-Motshekga faction by attending two stokvel meetings with members of this grouping shortly after the announcement that he was the ANC’s candidate for Gauteng premier.
The first stokvel meeting was held at the home of MEC for Safety and Community Liaison Nomvula Mokonyane on May 15. A subsequent meeting was held at the home of ANC MPL Lindiwe Maseko.
The source claimed that former Gauteng premier Tokyo Sexwale attended the meetings and is suspected to have played a key role in the decisions taken there. Shilowa has rehired at least two people who were employed in Sexwale’s office when he was premier.
Sexwale could not be reached for comment.
Another serious concern of the axed MECs is that Shilowa also hired long-time Motshekga arch-rival and former health MEC Amos Masondo as his political adviser.
“This clearly shows Shilowa’s bias. How can he appoint the man who spent all his energies fighting Motshekga as his advisor? What kind of advice is Masondo going to give him? Does Shilowa really want to unite the province, or is he part of the problem?” argued the source.
Another disgruntled member of the ANC’s provincial executive committee accused Shilowa of having ignored senior provincial party leaders when he appointed his cabinet. Only four of the 11 members of the Shilowa executive council serve on the ANC’s provincial executive committee. They are MEC for Housing Paul Mashatile, MEC for Education Ignatius Jacobs, MEC for Agriculture Mary Metcalfe and Gungubele.
The executive committee source said this “signals that Shilowa doesn’t respect the provincial ANC structures”.
He claimed that Shilowa did not consult the executive committee on the selection of his cabinet. “Shilowa blundered once again. Tokyo and Motshekga consulted us on the selection of their cabinets. This one [Shilowa] only informed the provincial working committee on the day he announced his cabinet to the media. ”
An angry member of the provincial ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) accused Shilowa of marginalising the league. Kgoali’s axing has been interpreted as a slap in the face.
Kgoali is the most popular woman leader in the Gauteng ANC. She was third on the party’s provincial election list after Motshekga and Mofokeng.
The ANCWL plans to meet Shilowa to demand an explanation.
The decision to seek the intervention of the ANC’s national leadership may bring trouble for Shilowa. The regional leaders intend informing President Thabo Mbeki that Shilowa travelled in a convoy of about 30 cars to a shebeen in Soweto and a restaurant in Yeoville to announce that he was Gauteng’s premier-elect.
This was long before Mbeki had informed the ANC’s national working committee of his choice of premiers. Several newspaper reports – informed by sources – suggested before the formal announcement that Shilowa would replace Motshekga. Shilowa is suspected of leaking the information to the media.
A source in the ANC’s East Rand region says if there is no positive response from the national leadership, a resistance campaign will be staged against Shilowa at provincial and branch levels.
“He forgets that the provincial executive committee is still the most powerful decision-making body in the province. The comrades are going to veto decisions he takes as premier. Then he will realise that he is not an island of power,” the source said.
Shilowa’s representative, Thabo Masebe, denied that the new premier’s style of leadership was divisive. He also denied knowledge of any stokvel meetings that Shilowa attended, saying, however, that such meetings would have nothing to do with the running of government.
He confirmed that Shilowa went to a shebeen in Soweto and said that it was part of the ANC’s election campaign.
Gauteng ANC representative Mike Ramogoma denied knowledge of any dissatisfaction with Shilowa.