In a dramatic turn of events that underscores the ongoing tensions within the African National Congress, the party’s Free State leadership has suspended Lejweleputswa District Municipality Executive Mayor Phindiwe Maseko just five weeks into her tenure. The suspension, confirmed on Tuesday, follows Maseko’s defiance of a clear party directive regarding the composition of her mayoral committee, a decision that has exposed deep fractures within the provincial structure.
Maseko was elected to the mayoral position in mid-May during a special council sitting in Welkom, taking over the reins from Veronica Ntakumbana. Her appointment was part of a broader provincial intervention aimed at stabilizing municipalities across the Free State that have been plagued by service delivery failures, financial mismanagement, and political infighting. However, the honeymoon period proved to be exceptionally short-lived when the provincial ANC leadership instructed her to replace a specific member of her mayoral committee—a directive she flatly refused to execute.
Provincial ANC spokesperson Oupa Khoabane confirmed the suspension, stating that Maseko’s actions constituted a serious breach of party discipline and the organization’s cadre deployment policy, which mandates that all public representatives adhere to leadership decisions. “No individual is bigger than the movement,” Khoabane said, adding that a disciplinary process would follow. However, Maseko’s supporters have rallied behind her, arguing that she was defending the municipality’s stability against external interference. Political analysts warn that this latest infighting could derail efforts to restore functional governance in Lejweleputswa, a region already grappling with crumbling infrastructure and angry communities. The coming weeks will determine whether this suspension hardens into a permanent removal or becomes another chapter in the ANC’s long-running internal battles.
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