The ANC is in a race against time to select a candidate to replace North West premier Supra Mahumapelo by the end of Wednesday, Eyewitness News (EWN) reported. On Tuesday, the North West High Court reportedly ordered that the provincial legislature must sit on Friday to swear in a new premier.
Mahumapelo took "early retirement" after waves of violent protests swept through North West in May, on the back of allegations of maladministration and corruption against his administration. President Cyril Ramaphosa sent a task team to North West to investigate, headed by Minister in the Presidency Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
The ANC's national executive committee reportedly failed to agree on one of three names selected by the ANC in North West at this meeting. The party's highest decision-making body met to discuss issues plaguing its provincial structures.
According to the Constitution, a new premier must be elected 30 days after there is a vacancy, and that time limit comes to an end this weekend.
At the end of May, when the party could not decide on who should replace Mahumapelo, it decided that a special NEC meeting should be held to debate the issue, IOL reported at the time.
According to Business Day, ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule said the decision has now been referred to the ANC's national working committee, which must make the decision by Thursday.
The three names forwarded to the ANC this week were former North West director-general Job Mokgoro, South Africa's ambassador to the U.N. Jerry Matjila and speaker of the provincial legislature, Susan Dantjie, who is acting premier, according to TimesLive.
But the NEC could not decide on any of them.
In a statement, the party urged its members to exhaust all internal processes before launching court cases against the party. This follows court challenges to party decisions from the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Eastern Cape.