Mahikeng - The ANC’s decision not to appoint
Professor Job Mokgoro as North West premier has alienated the party’s alliance partners, who now want the decision changed.
The SACP, Cosatu and the SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) held an urgent meeting in Mahikeng on Monday following the ANC’s announcement that the appointment of a premier for the North West had been put on hold to allow for further discussions between the party and its alliance partners.
But this has aggrieved the alliance partners. They said they held a meeting at Luthuli House on Sunday, attended by their provincial task team co-ordinators, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane and Obed Bapela.
The meeting was held prior to the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting at the St George Hotel in Irene, Centurion, on Monday, where a decision was taken not to appoint a premier candidate for the North West.
Commenting on their Sunday meeting, North West Cosatu provincial secretary Job Bliso said: “In that meeting all of us (alliance partners) agreed on one name. We followed all the ANC requirements in assisting the ANC’s NEC to appoint a premier. Three names were forwarded to the NEC, but we pointed out to our co-ordinators that Professor Mokgoro was our priority. We are disappointed.”
SACP provincial chairperson Smuts Mathe corroborated Cosatu’s account, including the appeal to Kubayi-Ngubane and Bapela to prioritise the appointment of Mokgoro.
Independent Media understands that Mokgoro’s name was forwarded, along with that of MEC for Local Government Motlalepule Rosho and North West MPL Saliva Molapisi, but the alliance partners insisted on Mokgoro’s appointment.
Mathe was adamant that the snubbing of Mokgoro was a decision of a few within the ANC’s NEC.
“Individuals must not create problems for us in the North West. We want Professor Mokgoro appointed as premier. People must not use government to determine the leadership for the ANC in the North West,” Mathe said.
Now the parties have agreed to write to the ANC to ask them to review the decision and to appoint Mokgoro without any delay. The letter is expected to reach the ANC by the end of this week.
Mathe was adamant that the ANC had wronged them.
Yesterday, ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe appealed to ANC members and alliance partners to exercise patience, saying the party was doing all it could resolve the matter.
“The decision on the appointment of premier is imminent,” Mabe said. “We are requesting them to bear with us. We want to assure them that we are putting their interests first.”