Carl Niehaus an ‘unrepentant thug’ that no one takes seriously, says Mbalula

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has once again laid into Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans (MKMVA) spokesperson Carl Niehaus, saying he is “an unrepentant thug who majority of us in the ANC and South Africa at large don’t take serious”.

Mbalula was responding to a tweet by Niehaus, where Niehaus said Mbalula was “opportunism, inconsistency and turncoating [sic]” personified.

Eish, if opportunism, inconsistency and turncoating was a person… ???? pic.twitter.com/YyVjZu1873

— Carl Niehaus (@niehaus_carl) February 25, 2021

This is not the first time Mbalula has clashed with the MKMVA and Niehaus.

Last October, in a series of tweets, Mbalula defended himself against “thugs” Niehaus and MKMVA  leader Kebby Maphatsoe, alleging they were out to get him because he had closed their “milking cow” – the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa).

Later, Niehaus and Maphatsoe demanded that Mbalula apologise, calling the former ANC Youth League president a “factory fault“.

ALSO READ: ‘My political opponents are not my enemies,’ says Mbalula on friendship with Malema

Back in 2019, Mbalula called Niehaus a “crook” after Niehaus criticised then-head of ANC elections Mbalula for saying President Cyril Ramaphosa’s election as party president in 2017 was a “game changer”.

Niehaus had said: “He [Mbalula] seems to fear much, especially engagement about his blatant opportunism, careerism and lack of respect for his seniors, such as the SG [secretary-general] of the ANC, comrade Ace Magashule. Talk about real cowardice!”

Recently, Mbalula said he wanted former president Jacob Zuma to honour the summons from the Commission of Inquiry Into Allegations of State Capture and appear before commission chair Deputy Justice Raymond Zondo. Niehaus is a staunch supporter of the former president.

ALSO READ: I don’t idolise Zuma – Carl Niehaus

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