Duarte Sh0cks Cyril As She Plans To Pull The Trigger On His Big Ally

There is a mostly thrown-around proverbial adage which says “a week is a long time politics”, of course this is due to the usually fast-changing pace of the political landscape, politicians could be allies today, but still be in diametrical opposition on a matter a week later.

Presumably, President Cyril Ramaphosa and deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte are believed to have developed some ‘allyship’, as has been evidenced by how they decisively dealt with suspended Secretary-General Ace Magashule.



But it does seem the two leaders could be on a collision course regarding what Duarte has reportedly done, which could have far-reaching political implications for the President’s grip on the ANC North West.

According to the Mail and Guardian, the DSG as she is commonly referred, is said to have threatened to remove one of Ramaphosa’s most-trusted allies – the North West Interim Provincial Committee coordinator Hlomani Chauke from his position.

It is believed that Chauke allegedly misrepresented the candidates list guidelines ahead of the local government elections, and this was picked up by chair of the party’s new Electoral Committee, Kgalema Motlanthe, who laid a complaint at the DSG’s office against Chauke.



In a letter Duarte sent to Chauke, she sent him a stern warning that if he continues to misrepresent the candidate guidelines, she will have not other choice but to suspend or remove him from the position.

“In view of this, I am writing to officially warn you that if there are any more mishaps, misrepresentation or failure to follow guidelines, we will have no choice but to suspend you as interim provincial committee coordinator of the North West,” Duarte wrote to Chauke.



Apart from the warning, Duarte is believed to have delegated some National Executive Committee (NEC) members from the North West province to do a through assessment on Chauke’s suitability to continue serving in the position.

The former member of parliament was deployed in the hugely-divided province to bring back some stability, and in the process he has stepped on many people’s toes, including former Chairperson Supra Mahumapelo, whom he suspended earlier this year, but the decision has since been set aside by the National Disciplinary Committee.



His somewhat no-nonsense approach has pitted him directly with those who sympathize with the Radical Economic Transformation (RET) faction who are mainly Ramaphosa’s opponents.

The factional battle in the province is believed came to a head when Chauke was at variance with the provincial list committee, which accused him of manipulating the lists by largely including those who are aligned with his faction.



Which is why, it was brought to Duarte’s attention to deal with the matter which has potential to create an untenable situation in the province.

The ANC had botched the list processes after they failed to submit candidates in a myriad of municipalities, however, they got some reprieve when the Independent Electoral Commission extended its deadline.

The list issue is usually a matter which creates disputes throughout ANC branches and regions, and even worse, it has resulted in political killings, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal due to squabbles over positions in municipalities.