Angry supporters of embattled North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo told The Citizen today why they attempted to storm the provincial executive committee (PEC) meeting that was convened earlier on Wednesday to decide on whether he should step down as the premier. We also spoke to others in the PEC itself.

It was eventually decided today that Mahumapelo would be placed on precautionary leave by the ANC amid numerous conflicting reports on whether he will eventually resign. Finance MEC Wendy Nelson will act as premier in his absence.

Mahumapelo addressed supporters outside the meeting venue earlier today where he told them that he was chairing the meeting and that the PEC would report to party members once the meeting had concluded.

#Mahumapelo the PEC currently meeting at the Embassy hall. Supporters gathered here singin hands off Supra (@tshidi_lee) pic.twitter.com/aYkdMYfHOt — Team News24 (@TeamNews24) May 9, 2018

The ANC members had gathered from numerous ANC branches in North West.

ANC members who spoke to The Citizen said they were unhappy at what they perceived to be an overreach of power on the part of the ANC national leadership led by its top six officials, and in particular President Cyril Ramaphosa. The demand from Ramaphosa’s leadership on Mahumapelo to resign has widely been interpreted as a show of strength from the president against the alleged faction in the ANC previously aligned to Jacob Zuma.

Those aligned to Ramaphosa are understood to be unhappy at Mahumapelo’s alleged links to the Gupta family as well as other allegations of corruption and abuse of power.

However, Mahumapelo’s supporters remain dissatisfied with the ongoing attempts to have him unseated as premier, primarily because he was elected as the province’s ANC chairperson and continues to be their chairperson – while the primary reason for asking him to step down appears to be that there have been weeks of ongoing violent protest against Mahumapelo.

#Mahumapelo The ANC in the NW press briefing is now underway. PP pic.twitter.com/HKnNUyO4as — EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) May 9, 2018

However, protest alone should not be a reason for the ANC to recall an official, almost all his supporters who spoke to The Citizen said.

“Lots of leaders face protests. Are we going to remove them every time there is a march or when someone burns down a building?

“Ramaphosa should know that he does not have a monopoly on burning. If they remove Supra, we will burn this province down,” one of his supporters told The Citizen on Wednesday, a sentiment that was echoed by others we spoke to.

#Mahumapelo Ntate Peter says Gauteng leadership was never punished after Life Esidimeni but there's a push to remove Mahumapelo & his PEC though no one has died (@tshidi_lee) pic.twitter.com/ZaTYPjoFlR — Team News24 (@TeamNews24) May 9, 2018

Last month, the ANC leadership in various North West regions blamed disgruntled party members and alliance partners for the violent protests that have left a trail of destruction in their wake.

The ANC in North West is deeply divided between those known as the Revolutionary Council and those who still support Mahumapelo.

According to the regional leaders who called a press briefing in April, the Revolutionary Council – the same group that previously called itself the North West Business Forum or self-liberators or the Phakama Brigade – had been behind the violent protests.

They said the Revolutionary Council had supported Ramaphosa during his election campaign and is composed of former and current MECs, MPs, MPLs, some provincial executive committee members, members of the former provincial task team who formed the ANC’s provincial leadership in 2009 until early 2011, some members of the regional executive committee and the regional task team, pockets of the ANCYL, most of whom are over the age of 35, members of the veterans league, the SACP, Cosatu, a certain clique of Sanco members, some current and former HODs, municipal managers and members of the business fraternity.

The regional leaders described the Revolutionary Council as a coalition of “the wounded” who would resort to fighting if something did not “go their way”.

#Mahumapelo says SACP & SANCO have no right to express opinions on what needs to happen with the ANC (@tshidi_lee) pic.twitter.com/UUR3gB9c0r — Team News24 (@TeamNews24) May 9, 2018

They claimed this group had an agenda to enforce regime change to clear the path for members of their group to ascend to power. They rejected allegations that Mahumapelo was irredeemably corrupt, citing the fact that he had briefed them on 29 forensic reports investigating corruption throughout the province.

They told The Citizen on Wednesday: “This is no different to what the ANC is criticising the DA for doing to [Cape Town mayor] Patricia de Lille. She’s complaining that she’s been removed without evidence of her corruption. She wants to clear her name. Supra deserves the same.”

His supporters reiterated the point that the ANC national leadership needed to tread carefully because they, too, could protest, and they, too, could be violent.

“If they thought the previous protests were bad, they must see what will happen if they remove Supra.”

Earlier today, prior to the decision to put him on precautionary leave, Mahumapelo said he would not step down as the premier until the party’s PEC had made a decision on the matter. This despite the fact that he declared on Tuesday night that he will resign.

The PEC had clearly prevailed upon him to change his mind, with reports that he was instructed to withdraw his resignation. North West ANC communication liaison Morweng Wessels told the SABC on Wednesday morning that the PEC still supported Mahumapelo for various reasons, including the fact that he had championed radical economic transformation within the province.

“So we don’t see any reason for him to resign.”

He described Mahumapelo as a radical and progressive leader the PEC still had confidence in.

“Those allegations levelled against him must be dismissed because none of them has been proved in a court of law. Why can’t people exercise patience and wait for a court of law to come with the outcome whether he is guilty of corruption or not? That is the stance of the provincial executive committee,” Wessels said.

The premier’s supporters in North West have reportedly also coined a rallying slogan, “No Supra, no election.”

[WATCH] #SupraMahumapelo: The #ANC PEC is briefing the media on their position on Supra #Mahumapelo. Acting Provincial Secretary Susan Dantjie says until the inter ministerial committee provides report, "there's no reason for the Premier to step down now…". Courtesy #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/fElq7AHVnX — eNCA (@eNCA) May 9, 2018

Acting North West ANC secretary Susan Dantjie, who is also the speaker of the provincial legislature, confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that while the interministerial task team appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa and led by Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma did its work, an acting premier would be appointed.

Meanwhile, there will be a joint press briefing on Thursday in KwaZulu-Natal by five ANC regions in the province that were cited by the national working committee statement as having “political challenges which need to be attended to before they convene their regional conferences and ultimately the provincial conference”.

“Our movement is under siege and South Africa must hear our side of the story!” they said on behalf of the Harry Gwala, Moses Mabhida, eThekwini, Abaqulusi and Lower South Coast regions.