On Thursday morning, the official residence of Mxolisi Dukwana, the premier of the Free State province and the chairperson of the ANC provincial committee, was engulfed in flames. Watch Video.

Emergency services and firefighters arrived on the scene to extinguish the fire, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the blaze. However, many people are speculating that the fire could be politically motivated, as the Free State province is one of the regions where there are high levels of division among ANC members.

Mxolisi Dukwana’s ascension to power was marked by several battles with other factions who opposed his appointment as the premier of the Free State province or the provincial chairperson of the ANC. Recently, Dukwana reshuffled his cabinet and dismissed three members of the executive committee who he felt were not competent enough to perform their duties. It is unclear if this could be a coincidence or if there is something more sinister going on.

Social commentators are speculating that the fire could be a ploy by Mxolisi Dukwana to obtain a new residence. Nathi Sithole, an ANC member critical of Dukwana in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province, alleged that the premier is capable of doing anything, even burning down his own residence to obtain tenders to construct a new one. This speculation highlights the general atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion among the ANC comrades in the Free State province.