Bathabile Dlamini resigns as MP
In a letter, she took the opportunity to thank the ANC for allowing her to ’serve the nation’, but lamented that she was made to be a scapegoat.
Ex-Minister of Women in the Presidency Bathabile Dlamini. Picture: Gallo Images
Bathabile Dlamini, the leader of the ANC Women’s League, has resigned as a member of parliament.
In a letter sent to secretary-general Ace Magashule, she took the opportunity to thank the ANC for allowing her to “serve the nation”.
“Serving the people of South Africa, the African National Congress and the African National Congress Women’s League is a wish of any young South African. It’s the greatest part of a life of all those that never had any home of all those who participated in mass struggles … but never blew their horn about their participation in the struggle.”
Dlamini raised her concerns at the behaviours “creeping into the African National Congress” that are not being addressed.
The letter further addresses provinces taking the ANC to court, which “put the organisation into disrepute, but because we were all going to conference these were not looked into”.
The “cloud” hanging over the ANC, Dlamini said, was made up of man-made issues, some of which included the judiciary, which has complained about its overreach through the Chief Justice, she said.
She said it was “worrisome” that NEC members had “fought all the presidents”.
Dlamini further writes that she was made out to be a scapegoat and an “easy target” regarding her dealings with Net 1 UEPS Technology subsidiary Cash Paymaster Services’ (CPS) welfare payment contract, which was ruled to be illegal in 2014 by the Constitutional Court. She lamented in the letter that government actually needed “specialists” to amend the critical nature of the Sassa grant system.
Three former ministers and ANC MPs have resigned from parliament and six new members will be sworn in as MPs, said the office of the ANC Chief Whip in a statement on Thursday evening.
Former minister of social development Susan Shabangu, former state security minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, and former minister of human settlements Nomaindia Mfeketo have also handed in letters of resignation without giving reasons.
The ANC said that it had replaced the three former ministers and three others to fill vacancies in the National Assembly.
(Compiled by Nica Schreuder)
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