Ramaphosa must ‘take out a whip’ should Gauteng MEC impasse continue: Gibson

After Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi postponed the announcement of the provincial executive on Monday due to being at loggerheads with the DA over sharing MEC positions, former DA MP Douglas Gibson believes the blue party's demand for more positions was fair.

“Lesufi has forgotten he's only the premier because the DA voted for him. He's in the first stage of grief, which is denial that voters rejected him and his party because they were unsatisfactory as rulers of Gauteng over the past few years. He mustn't be greedy and try to grab more than he's entitled to,” Gibson said in a Newzroom Afrika interview.

Gibson said President Cyril Ramaphosa would have to intervene if the parties continued to fail to reach agreement.

“The national government has set the tone and an example. I'm sure if Lesufi is unreasonable, the DA won't agree with him and President Ramaphosa will have to take out the whip,” he said.

The disagreements have also sparked arguments on social media.

DA MP Dean Macpherson suggested Lesufi was the problem.

“Strange how we got it right nationally and in KwaZulu-Natal but not Gauteng. Maybe it’s Lesufi who is the problem?” he tweeted.

Kanye McKay commented on social media: “Since Panyaza took the premier position I think it is fair for the DA to have more or an equal [number of] MECs. Both parties [ANC and DA] are not far from each other in terms of the numbers they bring.”

Dulcie van Ross believed the ANC was being difficult and wanted to “drive the DA out of the government of national unity (GNU)”.

“ANC leaders in Gauteng are very arrogant and want the people of Mzansi to believe it is the DA. Their plan is to cause havoc and frustrate the DA to leave the GNU. We are not all stupid or gullible to their arrogance. Lesufi is power-hungry, and his lapdogs are supporting him to force his power on other parties,” van Ross said.

Some people applauded Lesufi for standing his ground.

“Panyaza is very wise. I voted for him, and I trusted him to handle this DA sickness very well. It is a dangerous disease. He will not let them near our schools provincially,” Tshengi Tshengi said.

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