Ace to step down as premier ‘when time is right’

ANC secretary- general Ace Magashule says he will vacate his position as Free State premier when the time is right.

Magashule was briefing the media on the party’s state of readiness ahead of its 106th anniversary celebrations in East London today.

The annual birthday rally will be addressed by the ANC’s newly elected president, Cyril Ramaphosa, whose statement will inform the government’s actions for the year.

Speaking yesterday at the Buffalo City Stadium, where the event will be taking place today, Magashule said he was aware that he and current ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile, who is the Gauteng MEC for human settlements, would have to vacate their positions after they were elected to the key ANC Top Six positions.

“Both myself and Comrade Paul Mashatile, in terms of the ANC constitution, are supposed to be full-time.

“We will vacate our positions at the right time so that we hand over government,” Magashule said.

He said the special meeting of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) on Wednesday, the first gathering of the new ANC top brass after its election at the party’s national elective conference last month, had deliberated on the issue of their continued stay in their government posts.

“We have agreed that by the end of March, the financial year, we will vacate our positions as premier and MEC,” Mashatile said.

Both were also provincial chairs in their respective provinces before their election as national officials, which meant that new provincial heads had to be chosen by the party in the two provinces.

Magashule’s election last month as provincial chairperson, however, had been nullified by the Free State High Court by the time of the ANC conference.

But he said the ruling was suspended after the ANC Free State structure appealed it.

He did not disclose who would be taking over from him as the new political head in the province.

Former Mangaung regional secretary Paseka Nompondo is viewed as a likely candidate as he not only enjoyed close ties with Magashule but was elected his deputy at last month’s provincial conference.

In Gauteng, Premier David Makhura, who has also been Mashatile’s deputy, is the cur- rent acting head and is set to take over from him officially.

On the subject of today’s much-anticipated January 8 rally, Magashule said all logistics were up to scratch and that the party was confident that it would fill both the stadium and near-by stadiums which have been designated for overflow.

He said the campaign for the event, which saw the new Top Six and NEC members visiting kings and regions in KwaZuluNatal and the Eastern Cape, had renewed people’s love and confidence in the party.

“Over the last couple of weeks, the ANC has been at work, engaging our people in various communities and organised sectors.

“In all these visits, our intention is to reconnect the ANC with its rightful owners, the people of South Africa,” Magashule said.