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By Sihle Mavuso 
16h ago
Durban – A war of words has broken out on Twitter between Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and MKMVA spokesman Carl Niehaus after the minister accused the latter of being a “bully”.
This came on Monday after the MKMVA (Mkhonto Wesizwe Military Veterans Association) in Gauteng, supported by the South African National Civic Organization (Sanco) and the South African Student Congress (Things) marched against Mbalula, demanding his arrest.
They claimed that the Prasa rail infrastructure had collapsed under their supervision and as a result the many blacks who depended on it for transportation were suffering.
At times, using expletives in some of his tweets, Mbalula pointed to Niehaus and Kebby Maphatsoe (president of MKMVA) for public ridicule.
“Karl Niehaus is a known thug employed by Magashule at the luthuli (sic) house,” Mbalula tweeted as protesters waited outside the Gauteng prime minister’s offices to deliver a memo.
Karl Niehaus is a well-known thug hired by Magashule at the luthuli house.
– Minister of Transport | Mr Fix (@MbalulaFikile) October 12, 2020
In response to the tweet, Niehaus said that Mbalula was trying to undermine the work of the many MK soldiers who fought against the apartheid government.
“The day you are a 42-year @MYANC veteran, who served 10 years as a political prisoner because of my membership in #ANC & #MK, you can dare to speak to me in this tone. You are not worthy to walk in the old shoes of those MK pictures that you insulted, ”he replied.
Minister @MbalulaFikile the day you are a @MYANC 42-year-old veteran, who served 10 years as a political prisoner for my membership in the # AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS Y #MK you can dare to speak to me in this tone. You’re not worth walking around in those old MK checkered shoes you insulted.
– Carl Niehaus (@niehaus_carl) October 12, 2020
Mbalula then released another tweet when Maphatsoe was called by a coward who lost his hand while fleeing a military training ground. This was in an apparent reference to the fact that the MKMVA president lost one of his arms when he was shot while trying to flee an ANC camp in Uganda in 1991.
He is on record saying that conditions were dire and that he wanted to flee to a UN refugee office in Kenya so he could be sent to South Africa.
“Kebby Maphatsoe ran away from the camps, so she has a hand. He lost it out of cowardice, not in a fight against apartheid. Coward, ”Mbalula tweeted.
Kebby maphatsoe ran away from the camps, that’s why she has a hand. He lost it out of cowardice, not in a fight against apartheid. COWARD
– Minister of Transport | Mr Fix (@MbalulaFikile) October 12, 2020
In response to Mbalula, Maphatsoe said that he would not be intimidated by Mbalula, whom he called a “rumor-monger and factionalist.” He added that he had spoken publicly about how he lost his arm and that there were witnesses who saw what happened.
“Mbalula is only trying to deviate from the real issues that he destroyed Prasa. Now bring Ace Magashule and Zuma when there is no need for that, ”he said.
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