Gauteng ANCYL defends Makhura

THE ANC Youth League in Gauteng has vowed to block what it called attempts to politically smear acting ANC chairperson and premier David Makhura ahead of the party’s provincial conference this month.

This comes after certain structures of the ANCYL took aim at Makhura, accusing him of trying to target provincial executive committee (PEC) member and economic development MEC Lebogang Maile, who is one of the candidates to deputise for him at the conference.

The accusations stemmed from a controversial and allegedly unlawful R26 million payment for prepayment by Maile’s department for motorised three-wheelers that were allegedly never delivered by Enviro Mobi, a company linked to ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe.

Makhura has called on the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe the matter, a move which triggered those who supported Maile to be deputy provincial chairperson to go on the defensive.

Yesterday, Sedibeng ANCYL regional chairperson Yusuf Mahommed slammed Makhura, accusing him of not wanting Maile as his deputy and using his government position to block him.

“Out of 300 cases that need to be investigated by the SIU, why is cadre Maile being singled out? We are not apologetic as the region.

“We believe in generational takeover and that Maile should deputise Makhura, and we cannot help but see these as attempts to prevent him from doing so,” Mahommed said.

Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi remains a firm favourite for the much-contested deputy chairperson position.

FORMER DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko has ruffled some feathers in the party after she was spotted at an ANC event addressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

In a tweet on her Twitter account, she revealed that she was invited to the event by ANC elections head Fikile Mbalula, whom she affectionately referred to as Razzmatazz.

At the academics and professionals conversation gathering with Ramaphosa in Joburg, Mazibuko was spotted sitting next ANC national executive committee member Ronald Lamola.

But some of the top leaders in the DA have anonymously expressed discomfort over her presence at the event.

DA federal council chairperson James Selfe said he was not particularly surprised that Mazibuko attended the gathering.

“She’s now a consultant