By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Bushy Maape was on Tuesday announced as North West premier-elect amid protests outside the ANC’s Mahikeng offices by disgruntled party members.
Maape replaces outgoing premier Job Mokgoro.
The announcement was made by ANC’s interim provincial committee coordinator, Hlomani Chauke.
Chauke confirmed that Maape’s appointment would go ahead, despite Mokgoro not resigning from his position.
The ANC had submitted three names of preferred candidates to the party’s national leadership for Mokgoro’s replacement. They were current legislature speaker, Susana Dantjie, Finance MEC Motlalepule Rosho and IPC member, Bushy Maape.
“Mokgoro’s resignation is under way. We have made him aware and we are yet to receive his resignation via the office of the speaker. Those are administrative processes and, by the end of the day, we would have resolved them.”
Mokgoro was born in the Northern Cape in May 1948. Professor Tebogo Job Mokgoro obtained multiple academic accolades including a Master of Public Administration Degree in the United States of America, before his appointment as a lecturer at the University of Bophuthatswana, now called North West University.
He was married to former Constitutional Court Justice Yvonne Mokgoro. It was during the Bophuthatswana transitional period after former president Lucas Mangope was ousted, that Mokgoro rose to prominence and worked in the transitional government.
He was appointed Director-General in the North West Province’s first democratic administration as well as the 4th administration under Supra Mahumapelo’s premiership.
Mokgoro was hand-picked by a special ANC National Working Committee in June 2018 to stabilise the province after the party’s Provincial Chairperson, Supra Mahumapelo, resigned after public protests against his leadership following widespread allegations of corruption and mismanagement.