Supra’s a dead man walking

THE clearest sign that Supra Mahumapelo’s goose was cooked came on April 11 when one of his close allies, ANC Youth League president Collen Maine, made a dramatic confession at a memorial service for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Maine, who like Mahumapelo was a big supporter of then president Jacob Zuma before the ANC conference at Nasrec in December, said he was not introduced to the disgraced Gupta brothers by Zuma. A solemn-faced Maine said: “Mama Winnie never went to the Guptas like some of us did… and we did not take ourselves there. I was not taken by Zuma – the person who took me there was Supra Obakeng Mahumapelo.” Mahumapelo’s arrogant response to Maine was that if you are caught for a driving offence, you shouldn’t blame the driving school for teaching you to drive.

The ANC North West provincial chairperson has been dogged by a long list of scandals – from tender irregularities to his “proud friendship” with the controversial Guptas.

Antagonism among the people against him runs deep. The latest Social Attitudes Survey by the Human Sciences Research Council shows public trust in local municipal government in North West has dropped dramatically since 1998 – from 56% to 18% last year. All this mistrust is pinned on Mahumapelo, in office since May 2014 until he dramatically resigned on Tuesday evening, only to rescind his decision yesterday.

But he’s a dead man walking. Residents of Mahikeng, exasperated by his litany of scandals, blunders and dismal failures, went on an orgy of destruction last month.

The South African Military Health Service was deployed on April 20 at hospitals in the area, where union members have been striking at hospitals and clinics for more than two months.

The provincial health department, torn apart by maladministration, is now under national administration and President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an inter-ministerial task team to investigate the crisis. Surely, public anger is justified.

Mahumapelo’s exit is fait accompli, and the ANC will have to choose carefully who replaces him. Fixing his mess will be a massive task.