North West Premier Maureen Modiselle is operating in a silo, without the support of members of her provincial executive or heads of departments and with only limited support from the ANC provincial task team, the Mail & Guardian has established.
Six months into her term, Modiselle is still struggling to find her feet because of a poor relationship with provincial government officials who should be helping her run the province, say sources.
Morale is low among members of her cabinet, who accuse her of being inconsiderate.
Although the ANC provincial task team appears to be working with Modiselle, a member and a source in the premier’s office complained that she often took decisions without consulting the task team.
The M&G is in possession of documents from top provincial government officials showing that there is growing resistance to Modiselle’s management style.
These include letters from the provincial director general, Nana Magomola, to task team chairÂperson Martin Sebakwane, Public Service Minister Richard Baloyi and the director general in the presidency, Vusi Mavimbela, seeking intervention.
Magomola is allegedly seldom consulted on major decisions. She refused to speak to the M&G this week, citing employer-employee confidentiality.
In her August letter to Sebakwane she complains that Modiselle is clueless about the operations of the premier’s office; runs her office parallel to the director general’s office instead of having a unified plan; sidelines heads of departments and ministers in decision-making processes and does not communicate.
Magomola blames the fact that Modiselle attended only part of her orientation session. The effect was ‘that she missed out on the rest of the orientation inputs … I have on several occasions tried to close this knowledge gap without success.â€
Two department heads and a provincial minister, who spoke to the M&G on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Modiselle’s relationship with most department heads and ministers was at an all-time low. The sources said she remained bitter because she believed the disbanded provincial executive committee had imposed certain ministers on her.
One source said there were ‘continual rumours that a reshuffle is on the cards … informed by the poor relationship between the premier and her executive. She’s not helping matters because she doesn’t relate well with her MECs.â€
Modiselle tried and failed to transfer three department heads in October without consulting them or the relevant ministers. In this process Magomola was to be redeployed to the position of provincial treasury head. ‘They learned about this only when they received the letters,†said the source.
The redeployment has since been stopped, apparently after the task team’s intervention.
Task team chairperson Sebakwane said his team does not comment on governance issues.
Modiselle’s adviser and North West communications head, Khotso Khumalo, said Modiselle would not discuss details of her contractual relationships with leaders of her administration, as these ‘are covered by strict legal prescripts which protect [their] confidentialityâ€.
Khumalo said relations between the North West government and political leadership had improved since the establishment of the task team, with the premier sitting in on all the task team’s decision-making structures.