The ANC leadership’s dumping of Free State chair Mxolisi Dukwana as premier after he “failed” his selection interview left him in shock, sources close to him say.
Top ANC officials led by President Cyril Ramaphosa promoted Free State MEC Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae — who is also treasurer-general of the women’s league — to premier following candidate interviews this week.
Insiders say Dukwana, who took office in February last year, had thought he was a shoo-in to retain the post following the elections last month.
But the ANC top brass had other ideas after his apparently underwhelming performance in the interview.
He didn’t perform in the interview, that’s the issue. He failed the interview, that’s it
— Party insider
Letsoha-Mathae was sworn in as premier on Friday.
An insider close to Dukwana said the news that he had been snubbed “was a total shock, even for him”.
“We were caught by surprise, even the provincial secretary [Polediso Motsoeneng] was not aware. The expectation was that he’s coming back because his name did go through.
“After that special NEC meeting in Cape Town, I don’t know what transpired because it was approved at that meeting,” the insider said.
However, a source with inside knowledge said Dukwana’s performance during interviews with national officials had been dismal. He was badly prepared and failed to offer convincing plans for running the province.
“He didn’t perform in the interview, that’s the issue. He failed the interview, that’s it,” the source said.
Dukwana’s axing could become a source of dissension, with some senior leaders saying he should have at least been appointed speaker of the provincial legislature.
According to insiders, deputy president Paul Mashatile and deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane are among those who held this view.
They are said to reject proposals that he be appointed as an MEC.
“Mashatile even fought that he must become the speaker, Nomvula was confirming the point that these guys must meet and reverse that wrong decision of putting someone else as the speaker as opposed to Dukwana,” one source said. “He’s the chair, he can’t be just an MEC, you must make him run an institution.”
A member of the ANC national executive committee said the party was making a mistake in creating two centres of power in the province.
This, he said, was disrespectful to Dukwana as the political head of the province. “Because how do you explain leaving out the chair and appointing someone who is not even an [ANC party] official in the province to be premier, are you not creating problems? It shows that you don’t respect him.”
Dukwana could not be reached for comment but those around him said he was distraught.
One source said the real reason for his axing was that the party leadership believed he had failed to purge everyone aligned with the disgraced former premier Ace Magashule.
“Going into the provincial conference, the mandate was that once we get into power everything that’s supposedly aligned to Magashule must leave, that it must go and we don’t negotiate,” this insider said.
“So once we got into power, he did not move to remove most of heads of department, and these guys kept telling him ‘get rid of these people’ but he kept asking, on what grounds? So I think it got bad, very ugly. They are dealing with him harshly.”
The source said Letsoha-Mathae, as MEC of community safety, roads & transport, had in contrast moved decisively to remove Magashule allies in her department.
“Maqueen doesn’t hesitate when she has to make or implement decisions, even if they are unpopular. When she got to that department all the chief directors, CFOs, everything that was linked to Magashule was out,” said the source.
“They grew frustrated with the old man [Dukwana] because he wants to play clean. He was more a long-term visionary they did not want that, they did not have time for that.”
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