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The ANC Youth League in the North West has expressed their confidence in Premier Supra Mahumapelo and has vowed to defend against those calling for him to resign amid allegations of corruption.
Members of the league marched in Mahikeng on Tuesday, on the same day the North West Business Forum had planned to launch their campaign calling for Mahumapelo’s head.
Provincial secretary of the league, Sipho Dial, said it was their aim to “counter any programme aimed at undermining democratic gains”.
Leaders of the forum said they took a decision to cancel their gathering earlier on Tuesday to avoid a “bloodbath” and confrontation with youth league members if they gathered on the same day.
They postponed their plan to start from Wednesday in what they said would be a daily gathering and a “mass rolling action”, which they believed would gain momentum with more people joining the chorus for Mahumapelo to be recalled as the Premier.
The forum had given Mahumapelo until Tuesday to resign voluntarily or have them launch their campaign to force him out citing allegation of corruption.
They cited the matter that is before the Parliament’s portfolio committee on environmental affairs on the controversial donation of high-valued wild animals owned by the province to the South African Rare Game Breeders Association and black economic empowerment beneficiaries described as Mahumapelo’s allies.
Mahumapelo’s lawyers wrote a letter to the business forum leaders, Fana Moraka, Sello Mogodiri, Themba Gwabeni and Oupa Mphomane, on January 31 to apologise for what he said was a “smear campaign” against him.
His lawyers gave the four men until February 2 to apologise or leave Mahumapelo with “no alternative but to approach a competent court for urgent interdictory relief” against them.
The lawyers said those allegations were “highly inflammatory defamatory matter and baseless statements” suggesting that the Premier was corrupt and must resign for that reason.
Secretary of the forum Mogodiri told City Press that they were not going to apologise to Mahumapelo and that they were actually “daring him to take them to court where we will provide evidence for everything that we’re saying to support why we’re saying he is corrupt, is abusing his power of office and must vacate office.
“It is up to the ANC to decide whether it is going to defend one man against citizens and its voters who are saying they want him out. The premier has given wild animals to his friends who are not indigents,” he said.
“We’re launching our campaign to leave the ball in the ANC’s court because in the North West the Premier in his personal capacity is stronger than the ANC. The ANC must hear us out as citizens and join us in the fight against corruption.”
Meanwhile, the youth league said Mahumapelo was on the right track.
“We know very well that he is not corrupt. The premier is under attack and we will defend him as he continue with his government programme of economic transformation across the province. [Mahumapelo] is doing a great job in our province,” Dial said. “Anyone who is alleging corruption must report it to security agencies.”
Meanwhile, there was silent tension in Mahikeng ahead of Wednesday’s gathering by the business forum.
Mogodiri said they were expecting their campaign to gain support from ordinary citizens “who have had it with the premier”.
“We are actually a silent majority of citizens with the democratic right to complain. We can’t stand by watching someone turning government into his backyard,” he said.
“We don’t want any tenders from the premier because no legislation allows him to dish out any. It is high time all allegations against him are looked into.”
It remained to be seen what would happen tomorrow when Mahumapelo’s detractors meet for the first time after cancelling their gathering today.
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