Mxolisi Dukwana elected Free State premier

Mxolisi Dukwana is the new premier of the Free State.

Free State ANC chairperson Dukwana was sworn in as premier on Friday after the forced resignation of Sisi Ntombela‚ who had been at the helm of the province.

She was recalled by the ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) weeks after its election at the conference where Dukwana was elected chair.

Ntombela was beaten by Dukwana‚ a staunch ally of President Cyril Ramaphosa‚ in the race for the ANC chair position at the provincial conference last month.

Ntombela failed to make it onto the 30-member PEC which is mostly made up of Dukwana’s allies.

“The PEC meeting expressed a need that Ntate Mxolisi Dukwana should be installed as premier of the Free State‚” provincial spokesperson Jabu Mbalula said.

The PEC has been scathing in its assessment of Ntombela’s performance as premier‚ albeit recognising the performance in education as the single element of her government that works well.

One of the factors that led to her recall‚ according to Mbalula‚ was the auditor-general’s report on the poor state of service delivery in the province.

The other‚ he said‚ was the need to align the leadership of the ANC in the province to national government.

Mangaung mayor Mxolisi Siyonzana was also recalled after the ANC was embarrassed by shocking levels of service delivery in the Mangaung metropolitan municipality when thousands of its guests descended on the province for the party’s January 8 celebrations.

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