Former ANC Youth League (ANCYL) Collen Maine has been relieved of his duties as the North West MEC for Arts, Culture, Sports, and Recreation to practice gender equality in the provincial government.
This move follows an instruction from the ANC national leadership aimed at addressing gender imbalances within the provincial cabinet.
In line with the ANC's obligation to gender representation, the National Executive Committee (NEC) has mandated that provincial governments, going down to local government, maintain a greater number of female MECs and councillors than male, particularly in provinces led by male premiers.
Premier Lazarus Mokgosi has faced significant pressure to adjust his executive committee to achieve a gender ratio of 60/40.
Following the provincial and national elections in May, his cabinet initially comprised five male and five female members.
There has been complaints of women not assuming top or executive in workplaces.
Maine has been replaced by Virginia Tlhapi, as announced by Mokgosi, on Tuesday in Mahikeng.
"You will recall that Tlhapi is not new in the game. She was in the previous administration. She is bringing various experience skills and expertise. And therefore, we hope that her contribution towards the people of North West will be very enormous," Mokgotsi said.
Maine resigned and handed over the reigns to Tlhapi.
Tlhapi promised to serve the people of the North West with due diligence.
"I am not here to change anything that the former MECs have done, I am only here to make sure that wherever they did not manage to go, I improve," she said.
Meanwhile, Maine will now serve as the deputy speaker of the North West Provincial Legislature, a position previously held by SANCO provincial chairperson Tshepo Khoza.
Khoza resigned last month following allegations of falsifying his matriculation results.
Maine is set to be officially elected in the next few days.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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