The Black Jesus– as he calls himself, finally succumbed to the Luthuli House’s recommendation to resign, following the ANC’s top delegation meeting.
“That is nothing but counter-revolution and, when it rears its head, revolutionaries must rise to the occasion and thwart the counter-revolution,” he said.
Apart from stepping down to avoid being accused of using his office to protect himself from the ongoing investigations that implicated him, he was also avoiding accusations that he is targeting those who helped push him out using his government post, he said.
“We will have to use the might of the organisation to attend to this counter-revolution. If I continue to stay as premier when some counter-revolutionaries are embedded in a programme disguised as the revolutionary council I will also be accused of using my position in government for self-defence,” says Mahumapelo.
The spokesperson for the Revolutionary Council, an ANC faction which led the campaign against Mahumapelo, Thato Magogodi, said the group would now set its sights on disbanding the party’s provincial executive committee led by Mahumapelo. “The problems within the PEC are a manifestation of what is happening in the ANC. We don’t care about the threats against us.”
Jesse Duarte said the ANC’s national top brass would dissuade Mahumapelo’s PEC against targeting those who had raised objections against him.
“We are going to encourage the leadership in the North West province to accept that issues have been raised, 101b (section 100 (1) b) has been put in place. It’s time to move forward,” Duarte said.
Mahumapelo is still the chairman of the Province which amounts to be still in control.
His replacement will be made on weekend, following the acting Premier position by Wendy Nelson, MEC for Finance.
