EFF North West wants motion of no confidence in Mahumapelo

12th March 2018 By: News24Wire

EFF North West wants motion of no confidence in Mahumapelo

North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the North West has written to the speaker of the provincial legislature to set a date for a debate on a motion of no confidence in North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo.

They also want a secret ballot.

The motion is being supported by African National Congress (ANC) members in the province, who said they will lobby the party's members of the provincial legislature (MPLs) to vote in support of the motion.

"We hope to receive a date from the speaker of the legislature, not delaying tactics. Any form of delaying tactics on the part of the legislature will result in extra-parliamentary activism, including a legal process," the EFF's Alfred Motsi said.

Motsi added that the decision to file the motion followed what he calls "corruption patterns in major projects, approved without any procurement processes".

The North West government has been in the spotlight in recent weeks, with revelations that it paid medical technology company Mediosa R30-million in advance.

The Hawks also raided the premier's office last week and seized documents, after allegations that IT company Nepo Data Dynamics was paid over R215-million.

Some claimed that the company, that appears to have been paid daily, inflated prices.

The Sowetan reported that the government subjected the employees to a polygraph test when investigating "leaks".

"The intervention of the Hawks in the North West province provides hope and is welcomed because the EFF believes that Premier Supra Mahumapelo is a compromised leader, who should be held accountable and eventually voted out of power," Motsi said.

He said Mahumapelo had "no moral authority" to continue leading the province.

The ANC in the province has welcomed the EFF's request for a motion of no confidence debate.

However, ANC provincial executive committee spokesperson Gerald Modise said they wanted clarity from the EFF as it quoted the impeachment process in its letter to the speaker.

"We welcome the application by EFF and we are under no pressure," he said.

Mahumapelo is under pressure, with ANC members calling for him to step down. Last month, the members formed an organisation called the Revolutionary Council. They are said to be behind the spike in reports of corruption, after they urged public servants to expose the "rot" in the province.

The Council's Thato Magogodi said they are now urging ANC MPs to support the motion.

"We are talking to our MPs to support that motion of no confidence. We were planning to do it first, but it must be supported," he said.

"We hope that they will do their part. It's the right thing to do. We will work with anybody fighting corruption as long as they're genuine," Magogodi said.

But Modise said the party will thwart the plans.

"[The] ANC is the centre, therefore we are confident of the provincial legislature will take mandate from the ANC. We can't allow that process to unfold as [the] EFF wants," he said.

Modise added that Mahumapelo has not been found guilty by any court of law and investigations by the Hawks followed their executive committee resolution for all corruption allegations to be investigated.