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One of the premiers accused of being part of the so-called ANC Premier League has dismissed the notion as a false creation made up by people in the party who “murmur in dark corners” instead of speaking out in the open.
North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo told City Press this week that talk about the lobby group and its “plot” to become kingmakers in the ANC’s 2017 succession race was intended to create suspicion around his character and that of Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza and Free State Premier Ace Magashule.
The three premiers were only working together because their respective provinces were the biggest producers of maize in the country, said Mahumapelo.
“We cannot plot against anybody. If there is any plotting that we must do, it is against a monopoly that controls maize production within our three provinces,” he said.
An unfazed Mahumapelo said he wanted detractors to “come out into the open”.
“If they have issues to raise that are tangible, my challenge to them is that they not hibernate or do it during the night – let them call us to any structure of the organisation, and raise it formally so that we can deal with this particular matter,” he said.
Mahumapelo said maize storage facilities within the maize triangle were 100% controlled by white farmers, as was the manufacturing of technology used in the sector.
However, 95% of consumers were black people, he said.
“Are people saying we must not confront those issues?” asked Mahumapelo.
He said he was also discussing a working relationship with Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha “to drive a black-controlled platinum mining cartel” that would transform mining in the platinum belt.
He was also talking with Northern Cape Premier Sylvia Lucas about the mass production of the olive trees found between the two provinces.
Mahumapelo said the emergence of little-known leaders from ANC provinces with smaller membership numbers was “good for the ANC because it will then debunk the wrong view that only the biggest provinces in South Africa must provide leadership”.
“The biggest provinces also do not want to send such a message and are willing to support good cadres in other provinces so that we dilute this view that suggests that only the biggest provinces can lead.”
