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By Sihle Mavuso 
57m ago
Durban – The ANC has notified Carl Niehaus, one of the top employees in the office of the secretary general, Ace Magashule, that it intends to suspend him from his duties for violating the party’s code of conduct.
In a letter dated January 19, 2021 and signed by Febe Potgieter-Gqubule, general manager of the ANC, Niehaus has 48 hours to prove why he should not be suspended (with full pay) pending a disciplinary hearing. .
What appears to have broken the camel’s back was a personal press release issued by Niehaus on January 14. In the statement, Niehaus satirized the ruling party’s undersecretary general, Jessie Duarte.
Duarte provoked the ire of Niehaus (who started working for Magashule in March 2019) after telling JJ Tabane of eNCA that he will not respond to statements made by the MKMVA (Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association) spokesperson because he “ there was no elected leader of the ANC ”.
In response to that, Niehaus issued the statement and said he was saddened that even Duarte joined “a well-coordinated aggressive propaganda smear campaign against me … in the WMC (white monopoly capital) media.” He regretted that this happened while he was recovering from a Covid-19 related ailment.
“I am saddened that even the ANC Under Secretary General, Comrade Jessie Duarte, saw fit to attack me and undermine my long standing as a 42-year veteran of the ANC in good standing, as well as my elected position as MKMVA NEC member and National Spokesperson for MKMVA.
This he did, knowing that while he was doing it, I was seriously ill. It was unnecessary and insensitive, it saddens me deeply, ”Niehaus wrote in the statement.
In doing so, the ANC said that he had crossed the line, hence the intention to drag him over the embers.
“You have been informed, on more than one occasion, that your public statements and posts on social media are inappropriate for someone who works in this senior position, who has the primary responsibility for leading and coordinating the work of all ANC structures. . It also received a written warning to this effect, on October 12, 2019.
“The latest statement, titled ‘Carl Niehaus’s Personal Statement on His Ongoing Recovery from Covid-19 Pneumonia’, dated Thursday, January 14, 2021 … crosses all expected boundaries of an ANC employee, and in particular of someone of his seniority. In particular, the personal attack against the ANC Deputy Secretary General in this statement is a serious violation of the ANC Personnel Policy Manual.
” ANC staff members are expected to comply with organizational discipline, and personal attacks by a staff member on elected leadership, without even attempting to address the matter internally, are unprofessional, not tolerated, and violated the manual. ”Says part of the letter of intent to suspend Niehaus.
When asked about the letter, Niehaus declined to respond.
“I do not respond to leaked letters. As a disciplined member of the ANC, I will not respond in any way in public, ”he said.
Potgieter-Gqubule did not respond when asked about the letter.
Political Bureau
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