A new Gauteng premier will be elected on Thursday in a special sitting that the provincial legislature has convened.

This follows the resignation of David Makhura on Tuesday, paving the way for current Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi to take over the position.

In his resignation letter, Makhura said he was honoured to have been elected the 6th Premier of the province in 2014 and re-elected in 2019.

He said that he had served the people of Gauteng with humility, and utmost dedication and integrity through the eight years of his tenure.

“At the 14th ANC Provincial Conference, I passed the baton to the newly elected leadership collective led by comrade Panyaza Lesufi. Having worked with many ANC leaders and activists in Gauteng to rebuild and position Gauteng as a significant player in the affairs of the movement and a country at large, I have always contemplated how best to ensure a smooth and seamless transition from the collective I lead in the PEC and in government in order to achieve maximum unity, continuity and change. Consequently, I have held several engagements with the leadership of the ANC on the timing and details of the handover in order to ensure a smooth transition in the interest of our province and its people.”

Premier @David_Makhura hands over his resignation letter to the Speaker of the @GPLegislature pic.twitter.com/7vR5DwSlCM

— GautengGov (@GautengProvince) October 4, 2022

President Cyril Ramaphosa praised the provincial government for the smooth transition of power.

He has wished Lesufi well, saying he’s the right person for the role.

This is four months after the election of a new Provincial Executive Committee headed by Lesufi as Chairperson.

Handover

Last month, Makhura said he was ready to handover to the next premier that the  African National Congress (ANC) chooses.

“This leadership has said Premier, we would like to do a mid-term review of the cabinet performance, that is what the PEC is going to do. You have a comprehensive assessment, that’s part of the handover process, it must be orderly, it’s different from a recall, this is what a leadership should be doing and a proper, mature leadership takes those things to account, this is different from I’m gone or they just come and say no, thank you very much just handover the keys, no.”

Political analyst,  Xolani Dube looks at David Makhura’s legacy as Gauteng premier: