The African National Congress (ANC) has settled on newly elected Free State chairperson Mxolisi Dukwana as its preferred premier candidate after Sisi Ntombela's resignation as premier.

In a letter dated 21 February, addressed to ANC Free State secretary Polediso Motsoeneng, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said that given the vacancy that would arise from the resignation of Ntombela, national officials were "of the view that comrade Mxolisi Dukwana is the preferred ANC candidate for the position of premier of the Free State".

News24 understands that the three premier candidates were interviewed on Friday after the provincial ANC decided to recall Ntombela at its recently held lekgotla. Despite being told of the decision two weeks ago, a reluctant Ntombela only handed in her resignation on Monday. She has also resigned from the provincial legislature.

In the letter to Motsoeneng, Mbalula said all three candidates – Dukwana, deputy provincial chairperson Ketso Makume, and deputy secretary Dibolelo Mahlatsi – were of a high calibre and had the potential to play meaningful roles in several spheres of government. He added that national ANC officials were confident that Dukwana was most suited for the position.

The ANC in the Free State is expected to announce Dukwana as its preferred premier candidate imminently.

Despite numerous attempts, News24 was unable to get confirmation from the Free State legislature spokesperson about when the vote for the next premier would take place. This is despite the province's State of the Province Address being scheduled for next week.

The DA in the Free State welcomed Ntombela's resignation, saying she had nothing to show after nearly five years in office.

"Since the former premier was elected to office in 2018, conditions in the Free State have continued to regress, and residents of the province continue to bear the impact of poor ANC leadership," said DA provincial leader Roy Jankielsohn.

He added that Ntombela's resignation created "a leadership crisis within the Free State provincial government a week before the State of the Province Address, for which costs have already been incurred".

"While the ANC continues with their factional battles in the province, services and the economy continue to decline under the additional burden of load shedding," Jankielsohn said.