Simon Nare
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi was forced to postpone the announcement of his provincial executive for the third time on Sunday amidst disagreements with coalition partners and within his own party.
At the centre of the disagreements is the allocation of portfolios- with the DA demanding no less than five departments, including education or health departments for the opposition parties.
For the first time since 1994, the ANC in Gauteng finds itself in a precarious position after it only managed to garner 35% of the votes during the recent national and provincial elections. The DA is sitting at 27%.
Lesufi is insisting on keeping both education and health departments under the ANC.
Lesufi, who is also Gauteng ANC chairman, is prepared to forgo Human Settlements, E-government, Roads and Transport, Community Safety and Infrastructure departments.
Other departments likely to remain under the ANC include; Social Development, Finance and Economic Development.
Former Gauteng ANC Youth League leader Matome Chiloane is unlikely to be reappointed education MEC, while Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko could be moved from the health portfolio to finance against her will.
To manage factional interests within the ANC, Lesufi is considering allocating the health portfolio to former Human Settlements MEC Lebogang Maile, but Nkomo-Ralehoko believes she deserves a department with a bigger budget like health, as the deputy Gauteng ANC chairperson.
Education and Health departments gets the biggest slice of the over R165 billion budget in Gauteng.
Maile leads a faction within the ANC that dominates the provincial executive committee, which is the highest decision making body of the ANC in Gauteng.
Former finance MEC Jacob Mamabolo is tipped to take over the education portfolio. Mamabolo, a close ally of Lesufi, is also the chairperson of the South African Communist Party, which in alliance with the ANC in Gauteng.
The ANC top 5 officials convened an urgent meeting Sunday afternoon to iron out differences before Lesufi announces his provincial cabinet in the next day or two.
Other ANC leaders that are being considered for provincial cabinet include former economic development MEC and ANC provincial treasurer Tasneem Motara, former E-government MEC Mzi Khumalo, former Community Safety Faith Mazibuko, former deputy speaker of the Gauteng provincial legislature Vuyo Mhlakaza-Manamela and former Roads & Transport MEC Kedibone Diale.
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