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For Piet Mahasha Rampedi 
55 m ago
Pretoria – The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, rejected the apology of the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, saying that his “despicable behavior” should be addressed by the six senior ANC officials and the executive committee. national (NEC).
In a scathing letter addressed to ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule, Dlamini Zuma, who is also a member of the ruling party’s NEC and National Working Committee (NWC), said that Mbalula’s disparaging remarks about his failed ANC presidential campaign in 2017 they were a reflection of “patriarchy and misogyny.”
It was also an “affront to the leading women of South Africa, the continent and the world,” she added.
In the two-page letter, dated March 9, Dlamini Zuma said that Mbalula chose to “desecrate” International Women’s Day celebrations, by embarking on an attack against her and other female leaders, because she had no respect for women. and the political consciousness was long gone. he.
“Indeed, the ANC and society must feel the fury of our revolt. I am inspired by the reaction of ordinary members of our revolutionary movement, who decided to denounce this despicable behavior of Minister Mbalula. I ask that you share this letter with national ANC officials and I also suggest that we have a dedicated discussion during the next NEC meeting on the issue of women’s emancipation, ”she wrote.
“I have confidence in the leadership to take charge of the minister, in the interests of our revolution and the fight for a non-sexist South Africa, where women are emancipated and equal.”
He said he decided not to respond to Mbalula in the media, in order to give the ANC leadership an opportunity to address the matter internally.
“I did not want to respond in the media because I believe that this matter should be discussed internally, so that we can help our minister (and others) to regain revolutionary consciousness.”
In a spiel on Twitter last week, Mbalula, who is also a member of the ANC NEC, attacked Dlamini Zuma, implying that she had run for the party’s job at the behest of her ex-husband, former President Jacob Zuma, who had wanted to create a family dynasty in the ANC. He also referred to Dlamini Zuma as Zuma’s “wife” despite the fact that the two political heavyweights, who have children together, divorced more than 20 years ago.
Mbalula, who supported Dlamini Zuma before the 2017 Nasrec ANC national elective conference but switched her political allegiance to President Cyril Ramaphosa after he took over as party leader, also attacked Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, a of the presidential candidates. In another tweet, he demanded to know how much Sisulu had spent on his failed campaign.
This was after Sisulu posted a photo of all the ANC presidential candidates, including herself, Ramaphosa, Dlamini Zuma and former Minister of the Presidency Jeff Radebe at a dinner that Zuma hosted in 2017.
In her letter, Dlamini Zuma said that Mbalula’s statements contradicted the ANC’s gender policy, which states that “women are not considered to form a separate society from men,” and that it is up to men and women to “join forces to eradicate patriarchal practices and stereotyped attitudes ”.
“Women and girls are still triple oppressed and burdened by unpaid care work, which is exploitative and undervalued. They are poor, they are hungry, they are unemployed and they do not participate fully in the economy, ”he added.
Speaking to Pretoria News on Friday morning, Mbalula said he was aware of Dlamini Zuma’s letter to Magashule because it was discussed at the NWC meeting on Wednesday.
Challenging her to “do what she wants,” Mbalula said she had no idea why she was rejecting her apology, because she had initially told the NWC that she was “unaware of my apology because it’s not on social media.”
“Say that apology voluntarily, without any coercion, and that’s it. I can’t go beyond that. She must do what she wants. That matter was discussed by the NWC. But I am not the bearer of that because I also saw the letter on social media. It was not shared with the NWC. But all those questions were raised and also (talked about). I issued my apology and withdrew that statement without reservation on Twitter where I posted it. No one called me to do it. Even officials have never called him. Ace has never called me. He went directly to the NWC. Normally they called people and all that, but nobody called me, “Mbalula said.
“So it’s amazing that the NEC should discuss me when there is so much poverty around us and so many challenges around us, and the NEC should pause and discuss Mbalula. I withdrew that statement even though I believe in it, because I don’t even want to try to explain it, because I said it could be misinterpreted as an attack on his integrity. I did. Nkosazana didn’t have to call me and complain, or someone, I removed it myself. But that letter was discussed by the NWC, I spoke and Nkosazana spoke ”.
Mbalula said that Dlamini Zuma’s statement that he had lost his “revolutionary consciousness” was “his claim.”
“If I have lost revolutionary consciousness, why would I withdraw something without reservation? And not put up with it?
He was referring to a statement he issued after attacking Dlamini Zuma in which he said: “It is regrettable and regrettable that my comment may have seemed like an attack on the person and integrity of Cde Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, as this was never the intention .
“I therefore unreservedly apologize to Cde Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and wish to assure him that I will keep his name out of any political battle and comment.”
Pule Mabe, a spokesman for the ANC, could not be reached for comment.
Pretoria News
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