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The walls are closing in on North West premier Supra Mahumapelo.
After the EFF retracted its legal bid to force the provincial legislature to hold a motion of no confidence in the premier by secret ballot, the party has now written to the provincial legislature's speaker, Susan Dantjes, requesting that she schedule a new motion urgently — whether by secret ballot or open vote.
At the same time, the ANC's national working committee has recommended that the party's top officials "immediately" meet with Mahumapelo to discuss "all available constructive options" to resolve the ongoing impasse in the province.
There have also been calls for Mahumapelo to appear before Parliament to answer questions regarding various allegations relating to the controversial Gupta family.

NW Premier Supra Mahumapelo- I will welcome any investigation on me. No one is above the law. We are all innocent until proven guilty. #NWProtests#SupraMahumapelopic.twitter.com/zGRXEPYc6p
— Bafana Nzimande (@nzimandebafana) April 26, 2018

Speaking to HuffPost, EFF North West chairperson Betty Diale said a decision was made to drop formal court proceedings because they were taking too long.
READ: Why North West Is Such A Mess
"We felt that we need to expose the hypocrisy in the ANC. Whether the motion of no confidence is held by secret ballot or not, we are going to proceed as the EFF. The speaker's attorneys were not responding to our letters, and so we must take it forward. We have submitted a letter to the speaker's office requesting a new motion of no confidence to be tabled," Diale said.
"For the past few financial years, we have been speculating on the existence of corruption in the province, but we didn't have enough evidence to implicate anyone directly. Now we have documents that implicate various people."
READ: Who Is Supra Mahumapelo, And Why Is He So Powerful?
In its letter to the speaker, the EFF said: "Having noted the lengthy time any court process would take in processing the matter, the EFF has resolved to proceed with the motion on the next available sitting."
But politics expert Theo Venter said the ANC may opt to remove Mahumapelo before it is "embarrassed" by a successful motion.

#ANCNWC has approved the convening of conferences in regions and provinces that have fulfilled all the requisite processes. NWC also recommended that national officials immediately meet with #SupraMahumapelo to discuss all available options to resolve the ongoing impasse in NW
— Sphelele (@SpheDludla) May 3, 2018

"The ANC's national working committee's statement ... [is] using code language, indirectly saying it is time to get rid of Mahumapelo. We are looking at the end game. Politicians normally resign to keep their dignity, but Mahumapelo is a tough cookie. There comes a time, when if you want to stay in the ANC, you have to leave your position and regroup before returning. Mahumapelo has done this twice in his political career," Venter said.
READ: How Mahumapelo Could Be Manoeuvred Out – Carefully
"The motion of no confidence by the EFF also puts a level of pressure on the ANC. It is never a good thing for the ANC to allow a motion of no confidence that is not in its control, and it will resist that as far as possible."
Venter believes Mahumapelo's exit may see ANC members from the anti-Zuma faction returning to key posts.
"North West may serve as an example of how things will go in other provinces, like KwaZulu-Natal. This will also be a show of power for [President Cyril Ramaphosa] in the ANC. He will gain through this and possibly show those members in KZN that although he plays the long game, he eventually gets what he wants."