ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula. Picture: File
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula seems to have spoiled the party ahead of the organisation’s 112th birthday celebrations in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, tomorrow.
The establishment of former president Jacob Zuma headed uMkhonto weSizwe party, that will likely steal voters come national elections this year, has also given officials of the ruling party before the much-anticipated National Executive Meeting (NEC) that was expected to take place on Thursday night.
According to a source inside the NEC, Mbalula had sown divisions among the members of the executive and they were planning to rebuke him after he made assertions that the party misled Parliament to protect former Zuma during the Nkandla scandal.
He was also heard saying that President Cyril Ramaphosa had resigned after the scathing findings of the Section 89 Independent Panel to Investigate Phala Phala Farm, which found that he may have violated the Constitution and his oath of office.
This was after millions of foreign currency was stolen from the president’s Phala Phala farm begging questions as to why there had been millions of foreign currency in his property in the first place.
Mbalula made reference that Ramaphosa was not a difficult president, and ”he had at one point resolved that he was leaving his position as the president".
He was speaking at one of the party’s build-up events in Barberton on Sunday.
Meanwhile, EFF president Julias Malema boasted that he had always been right when he announced that Ramaphosa had resigned following the Phala Phala scandal.
In February last year during an EFF media launch ahead of their 10th anniversary, Malema revealed that Ramaphosa had resigned as president but was saved by some of his comrades.
In a statement, the Red Berets said they had always been right about the resignation.
“This naked truth was framed as conspiracy and rumour mongering, by a government and ruling party that is prone to lies.
“It is the same ruling party that claimed that Ramaphosa had never considered resigning, through its National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe, and this sentiment was reiterated by the Presidency spokesperson (Vincent Magwenya), who vowed that Ramaphosa would fight the findings of the report and would not resign.”
The statement added that the EFF was vindicated because the organisation was always on the side of the truth.
Malema further criticised Ramaphosa, alleging lack of interest in his Presidential role and resolution of national challenges.
“It is patently clear that Ramaphosa has no interest in being the President of South Africa, and this can be seen by the lack of appetite he has to resolve the numerous challenges facing our nation,” Malema said.
The Star
mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za