This was ahead of Friday's special council sitting where premier candidate, Mxolisi Dukwana, was expected to be elected as the Free State's new premier. 

The chairperson of the ANC caucus, Thabo Meeko, said the party had just concluded its caucus meeting at the legislature, housed in the Fourth Raadsaal in Bloemfontein. Meeko said the caucus of the ANC is united and is cohering under the direction of the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC), led by premier-elect Dukwana as its chairperson.

"We are united on one principle, the ANC is the centre both in policy and principle. By implementation, we mean people are deployed by the ANC to implement its decisions. So nobody is going to vote based on individual [conscience]. The conditions that will prevail here is the political [conscience] of the ANC that says the ANC is the centre," Meeko added.

It's understood that Dukwana will be uncontested in his quest to become the new premier of the province.

The special sitting comes after former premier Sisi Ntombela resigned on Tuesday 21 February 2023.

OFM News previously reported the spokesperson for the newly elected ANC PEC, Jabu Mbalula, announced that the PEC had resolved to redeploy Ntombela and the mayor of the Bloemfontein-based Mangaung Metro Municipality, Mxolisi Siyonzana.

Mbalula told OFM News that the PEC decided that Dukwana, as the ANC chairperson in the province, should ascend to the position of premier.

On Thursday 23 February, the legislature failed to convene, allegedly after an error with the date of the sitting.

The legislature's speaker, Zanele Sifuba, told the gathering at the Fourth Raadsaal on Thursday afternoon that Chief Justice (CJ) Raymond Zondo informed them that the process to elect the new premier to replace former premier Ntombela, can only take place on Friday 24 February 2023. 

She said that as the legislature, they are merely facilitating the process. 

Contrary to what Sifuba said, OFM News has reliably been informed that those who organised the special sitting in fact got the date wrong.

While the Legislature had the date for the sitting as 23 February, the Judiciary had it as 24 February. 

Former Premier Ntombela's resignation will take effect when the new premier is elected.

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During the proceedings, Sifuba will convene the sitting, allow for the nomination process to unfold and the secondment from all parties, and then allow for voting, whereafter she will announce the duly elected premier.

The new premier will then be sworn in by the Free State High Court judge President. It's understood that Dukwana will be elected un opposed as the premier.

OFM News