Cape Town — President of the ANC Veterans League (ANCVL), Snuki Zikalala, has criticised Fikile Mbalula for his comments on Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla pool, claiming he got excited.
Earlier this week, ANC national chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, said Mbalula placed himself and the party in a tough spot after he openly admitted to the media that the ANC defended Jacob Zuma amidst his Nkandla pool scandal, saying the ANC stood by him and supported him throughout.
“I thought he was carried away by yourself guys, he saw your cameras he got taken away and he said things he should not have said, when you lead you count every word you say,” Mantashe said of the incident.
Now, Zikalala has also taken issue with Mbalula, saying he got excited and felt the secretary general needed to explain his comments, he told Newzroom Afrika.
“I think the secretary-general will have to answer and so I cannot say much about what he said. As the NEC (national executive committee) of the ANC, we have not discussed much about that matter. I have heard about it, seen the clip, I think it is a matter we will discuss,” Zikalala said.
“I think he got more excited. I don’t know what excited him, and it it is unfortunate it went that way,” he added.
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has reassured voters ahead of elections that the governing party will root out corruption and regain their trust. ANC Veteran Snuki Zikalala says the Veterans League will assist government in rooting out corruption.
Watch: https://t.co/UsSnTJ32GL pic.twitter.com/SYey7q9lzT
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) January 10, 2024
According to University of Cape Town professor, Dirk Kotze, Mbalula’s comments will hurt the ANC, especially in light of the Phala Phala saga and the government’s recent failures, IOL reported.
” think these utterances will become an issue in the elections. It will be a political issue that will become part of the campaigning and will be regarded as one of the reasons people are told to not vote for the ANC,” Kotze said.
“It will form part of the main arguments of some of the opposition parties even though I do not think that Phala Phala itself will become part of the main issue. The other issues regarding the ANC, like its record of governance, service delivery, corruption and state capture and all of those will be quite prominent,” he added.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
