The bromance between ANC Youth League president Collen Maine and North West premier Supra Mahumapelo is over.
So say party insiders who told the Sunday Times this week that Maine was now campaigning to remove Mahumapelo to "liberate" himself from Mahumapelo's influence.
Maine is said to have switched allegiance to powerful ANC Mpumalanga chairman David Mabuza, a move said to have been engineered by the youth league's deputy president, Desmond Moela.Maine did not confirm or deny the fallout, saying his relationship with Mahumapelo was not "romantic".
"What has changed is that I am based in Pretoria and he is based in Mahikeng and our relationship has never been a romantic one.
"I can't relate to a comrade the way I relate to my wife. Our relationship is not a romantic one where we are cuddling every day. No. Our relationship has always been political," said Maine.
With the help of Mahumapelo, Maine became chairman of the youth league in North West, then national president in 2015.
Insiders said cracks in the relationship emerged when Maine was an MEC until March 2015 under Mahumapelo.A provincial leader in North West said Maine was now determined to "unshackle himself" from Mahumapelo and "be his own man". The leader said Maine was in Taung, where he was said to be countering Mahumapelo's support and showing that he could thrive without Mahumapelo's help.
"Collen is collaborating to destabilise Supra in the Ruth Mompati region [Vryburg]. He is ... in Taung [71km south of Vryburg], trying to mobilise against Supra," said the leader.
A regional leader in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district (Mahikeng) said Maine had begun a programme of "self-liberation".
"He says he is liberating himself from Supra's influence," said the leader.
Mahumapelo was not available for comment...