Firepool lies: Nhleko must leave ANC in peace

For former police minister Nathi Nhleko to resign from the ANC and put the blame solely on the party’s secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, is not only misleading but also incorrect.

Mbalula had accused Nhleko of lying about the firepool debacle during the Nkandla scandal.

ALSO READ: ‘There was no lie I was telling’ – Nhleko slams Mbalula, says fire pool comments implicate Ramaphosa too

In a letter addressed to Mbalula and President Cyril Ramaphosa, Nhleko slammed Mbalula for his comments about the ANC protecting former president Jacob Zuma and how Nhleko “sweated” through the lies.

Nhleko seems upset by suggestions that because he was sweating, he must have been lying. As a seasoned leader that he claims to be, Nhleko should just admit that he is not happy about how things are in the ANC, provided that he is no longer serving anywhere.

To say that Mbalula is behind his resignation and that he no longer recognises the values and principles of the current ANC is surprising.

In fact, Nhleko seems to be taking a leaf from Zuma’s book. Zuma declared in December that he will not be voting for the ANC but for the new uMkhonto weSizwe party in the May general election, saying he doesn’t recognise the ANC of Ramaphosa.

For every ANC member knows that when they join the party, they do it voluntarily and can never be forced out of the party by another member, unless they have committed serious violations.

Nhleko is, therefore using Mbalula as a scapegoat instead of leaving in peace the ANC that once worked for him all the years and he now sees as redundant.

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Hence, it would be unfair to blame Mbalula and accuse him of tearing the ANC apart. Mbalula has never said anything that is in contradiction with the ANC’s constitution and has never used his office to chase members out of the party – at least so far.

Although it is true he sometimes speaks a lot and out of line, and it would be preferred that he keeps quiet, that cannot be assumed as an act to destroy the ANC.

Mbalula is hardly doing anything that can be considered an embarrassment costing the party, like some ANC officials have done with their scandals.

So far, Mbalula is in a predicament: if he does something or he doesn’t, he will still be criticised.

Because if he didn’t speak, he was going to be accused of being a secretary-general that is sleeping on the job.

And the fact that he talks, it is also not surprising that there is criticism levelled against him.

ALSO READ: ‘Have your head checked’ if you think Mbalula’s fire pool comments is admission of lies

People who say they are leaving the ANC because of Mbalula could be doing so because they want to hide the real reasons they are shunning the ruling party.

And besides, Nhleko’s resignation doesn’t dent the ANC’s survival at all. Whether he is a member or not, the ANC will not be affected.

The problem only lies in him behaving as if he was not party to the bad things he claims the ANC has inherited. He was once a senior leader and if he understood what that means, he would’ve sought ways to engage the party’s leadership about his grievances.

If you look today, the ANC is losing people because taps have run dry for them. This on its own is alright because it allows the ANC to renew itself without individuals who claim they are revolutionaries, yet their missions reek of counter-revolutionary behaviour.

Hopefully, the wolves in sheep skin within the ANC will show themselves and allow a new type of leadership to emerge within the party