The ANC’s provincial leadership has called on Gauteng premier David Makhura to leave office sooner than he wanted to but has stopped short of recalling him or asking him to resign.
Business Day reported last week that Makhura proposed vacating office ahead of the state of the province (SOPA) address next year “to give the new ANC leadership time” to lead the party’s campaign ahead of the 2024 general elections.
The ANC formally discussed Makhura’s fate for the first time on Friday at a special sitting of the provincial executive committee (PEC) since a leadership election in July, which ushered in a change of guard.
At a briefing on Sunday, ANC Gauteng secretary TK Nciza argued that Makhura had been a leader of the party in the province for over 20 years and that it was time he passed on the baton.
“Immediately after [the meeting] we had a discussion which was led and initiated by comrade David Makhura, our premier. Part of what we spoke [about] was about a transitional process, a smooth transitional process that must take place in Gauteng,” Nciza said.
Nciza insisted “there was nowhere that the PEC said David Makhura must resign”.
Makhura added he was not resigning or not yet preparing to resign, saying proper governance required a handover process.
“I am ready to hand over government to the next leader of the ANC and we must handle this properly. I am readily available to hand over leadership. I am not resigning, but I am ready to hand over the leadership after the ANC processes have been completed. I will hand over when the ANC says I should do so,” Makhura said.
Makhura will on Monday embark on a two-week trip to Germany and the Netherlands as part on the provincial government’s work on sustainable power generation, in particular green hydrogen.
PEC insiders confirmed that formal discussions towards a timeline for Makhura’s departure would be begin on his return.
Others in proximity to Makhura added what had become apparent from the Gauteng leadership is that that he would have to make way for others to lead “within weeks” or “well before the end of the year”.
“Upon the premier’s return he has asked to complete a review of the work the ANC has done in the province. There also has to be a discussion in the ANC on preferred candidates to replace him. The matter will also have to be discussed by the ANC’s national leadership. Even Makhura has now been convinced that resigning before SOPA next year will not give the new premier enough time to prepare,” the source said.
The terms of Makhura’s departure as premier follow the sudden resignation of KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala after his ousting as ANC provincial chair at the party’s provincial conference in July.
“There has to be a handover, that is in the ANC’s interest and in the interest of good governance,” Makhura said.
By the ANC’s own admission, factionalism and corruption have had a massive impact on the governing party and led to electoral losses in successive elections. The ANC has haemorrhaged support in Gauteng over the past two general elections, maintaining its majority by a small margin in the 2019 poll. In the 2014 poll, it lost more than 10% of its support after the introduction of e-tolls on Gauteng roads.
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