From frying pan to fire?

The ANC in North West has nominated former Rustenburg mayor Matthew Wolmarans to fill the parliamentary vacancy left by Brian Molefe.

Wolmarans was sentenced to 20 years in jail in July 2012 for the murder of councillor Moss Phakoe in Rustenburg on March 14 2009.

The conviction was overturned by a full bench of the Mafikeng High Court in June 2014.In 2015 Wolmarans and Mike de Kock, believed to be a close confidant of North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo, were accused of illicitly receiving game animals valued at more than R210-million, including 130 buffaloes and 50 white rhinos, from North West MEC for agriculture Manketse Tlhape.

De Kock is the director of M Civils, one of the companies affected when North West businessman Wandile Bozwana obtained a court order in June 2015 barring former MEC for local government and human settlements Collen Maine from awarding tenders worth R470-million. Maine is now president of the ANC Youth League.

Bozwana was shot dead on the N1 highway in Pretoria on October 2 2015.
Molefe resigned as ANC MP on May 14, after one of the shortest parliamentary stints ever, as news broke that he was returning to his position as boss of Eskom.

He resigned from Eskom under a cloud at the end of 2016 a few weeks after Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found that Eskom had bent procurement regulations to give a coal contract to Tegeta, a company owned by President Jacob Zuma’s good friends, the Guptas.

Speculation was rife that Molefe’s appointment to parliament was meant to pave the way for him to replace Pravin Gordhan as finance minister.

North West ANC spokesman Gerald Modise said Wolmarans was a capable leader whom the party believed was suitable to fill the vacancy.

“We believe he will be able to assist us in parliament,” he said.