Thandi Modise, chairwoman of the National Council of Provinces, is said to be the favourite to replace Supra Mahumapelo as North West premier.
The Sunday Times understands that Modise has been approached to go back to her old job as the ANC tries to put out the fires in the North West.
But it has emerged that although Mahumapelo agreed in his meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday to resign as premier, he vowed to fight to stay chairman of the ANC in the province.ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule told the Sunday Times that talk about Modise's return was a rumour.
Calls for Mahumapelo to step down come after violent protests in parts of the province where residents complained about the lack of service delivery and rampant corruption in the premier's administration.
The national government intervened by putting the provincial health department under administration.
Ramaphosa is said to be pushing for Mahumapelo to step down as ANC provincial chairman too and to dissolve the provincial executive committee"Supra is going to fight tooth and nail to remain as provincial chairperson because without this position he is naked and vulnerable," said a senior source with knowledge of the matter.
Modise, a former Umkhonto weSizwe operative, was North West premier from November 2010 to May 2014 when she was replaced by Mahumapelo.
Ramaphosa held secret talks with Mahumapelo on Thursday in Johannesburg about the president's intention to axe him. Ramaphosa is expected to ask the national executive committee at a special meeting this week to support him.
Senior sources with knowledge of the meeting between the two said Mahumapelo had implicated his detractors in the province in wrongdoing.
"Supra told the president that the people who are chanting that he must go because he is corrupt are the corrupt ones and presented damning evidence to support his claim," one source said.
Another source said that Mahumapelo attributed his troubles to an announcement he made that he was instituting an investigation of all former MECs in the province.
"Supra hired a private investigating firm, which compiled a dossier on 21 of the 28 members of parliament who are from North West, and he presented it to the president on Thursday.
"When information of this probe was leaked to relevant parties suddenly there were sponsored uprisings and protests in the province," the source said.
Mahumapelo said yesterday that he had agreed with Ramaphosa not to make any comment about their meeting on Thursday.Magashule confirmed yesterday that Mahumapelo and Ramaphosa had had a meeting but said he was not privy to their discussions.
"We are waiting for the president to give us a full briefing about their discussion on Monday."
He told the Sunday Times that the ANC national working committee agreed that the national government should take control of certain departments in North West.
"The decision to take over various departments was taken for good governance and also to bring stability to the province," he said.
He said the ANC was interacting with various branches and regions in the province to discuss Mahumapelo's fate.
"The structures in the province must have a say about Supra's future [because] he is their elected leader."
mzilikazi@sundaytimes.co.za..