Major political changes are on the cards with the province likely to get two new MECs, as well as mayoral changes.
The ANC’s provincial deployment committee (PDC) is set to meet behind closed doors to sign off on a plan to deploy provincial treasurer Babalo Madikizela to the legislature.
The plan to field Madikizela as an MPL will result in two major changes in the Phumulo Masualle-led cabinet.
Human settlements MEC Mlungisi Mvoko is likely to be moved to become the MEC of education, filling the position left vacant by the death of Mandla Makuphula in October.
Madikizela, a former Alfred Nzo regional treasurer, will be sworn in as a new member of the legislature “soon”, according to a senior ANC leader.
But legislature spokesperson Maria Hermans said the speaker’s office had not received communication from the ANC in this regard and “therefore no swearing in of a new member is scheduled”.
Contacted for comment, Madikizela said only the ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi was able to comment on a party matter.
“I have no comment,” said Madikizela.
Ngcukayitobi similarly declined to comment.
Some of the province’s municipalities, including Buffalo City Metro, are also on the radar with the PDC set to look into changing the metro’s mayoral committee.
The Dispatch understands that the PDC will scrutinise two reports – one from the Dr WB Rubusana region, which was submitted a month ago, and the other from BCM mayor Xola Pakati, containing his recommendations on who should be fired from the mayoral committee.
Pakati is likely to survive the chop despite a Dr WB Rubusana regional conference resolution to recall him in order to avoid “two centres of power”.
This was after Pakati lost the party regional chair to Pumlani Mkolo.
The PDC is also set to recall Ingquza mayor Pat Mdingi. He fell out of favour for failing to provide court-sanctioned shelter to residents whose housing structures were unlawfully demolished by the Lusikisiki municipality in 2016.
Residents recently took to the streets to demand shelter. Mbizana business people have accused the municipality of hiring companies from other parts of the province to do minor projects such as fixing potholes, which could easily have been assigned to local businesses (SMMEs).
The PDC is also likely to discuss who should replace Andile Lungisa as Nelson Mandela Metro’s engineering services head in council.
This comes after the provincial executive committee (PEC) resolved to recall Lungisa because he had been convicted of assaulting a fellow councillor with a jug.
Lungisa has defied this and is understood to have the backing of the Nelson Mandela regional executive committee, leading to the REC appealing to the ANC’s national executive committee to intervene...