ANC shake-up put on hold

Eastern Cape must present proposals

Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle will know his fate next week, when the ANC’s national officials receive a full report on the performance of the ANC-led Bhisho government.

This follows a meeting ANC Eastern Cape officials held with the party’s top leaders, including party president Cyril Ramaphosa, on Monday.

ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukaitobi confirmed the meeting, saying they were there to recommend a cabinet shake-up, but due to the other pressing national issues it could not be finalised and had to be shelved.

“We met the national leaders at Luthuli [House] as expected. They gave us a hearing. The critical thing we were there to do was to present the status quo in terms of provincial government performance,” Ngcukaitobi said.

“The other issue which was unavoidable is the issue of [the provincial] cabinet reconfiguration. But, because this was our first discussion with them, we had to therefore agree that we need to have a second discussion with them so that if there are clear proposals that we are coming up with, we come with those particular proposals to the national leadership.

“That is what needs to be done in order to rescue the situation.”

Sowetan’s sister publication The Dispatch can reveal today that in the firing line is Masualle as premier, health MEC Phumeza Dyantyi, agrarian reform and traditional affairs MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane, social development MEC Nancy Sihlwayi, education MEC Mandla Makupula, roads and public works MEC Thandiswa Marawu as well as finance and economic affairs and tourism MEC Sakhumzi Somyo.

But Ngcukaitobi warned against speculating about names at this stage, saying that would be tantamount to prejudging issues.

“We can’t hand pick individuals and say this particular one will be affected and that one won’t. It can affect the entire legislative leadership and government legislative.”