At an ANC press conference on Thursday, ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu was questioned regarding tweets on Wednesday aimed at the EFF.
The press conference was about President Cyril Ramaphosa’s about-turn on the reason for R500,000 being paid to his son, Andile, by controversial facilities management company African Global Operations (formerly Bosasa).
While the president said at the time the money was payment for work done by Andile’s financial consultancy, for which he’d even seen a contract, he now claimed the money was, in fact, a donation for his presidential campaign.
While many questioned the president’s response, Mthembu praised it, calling him a “true leader”.
According to a tweet from Mthembu earlier today, the press conference was also an opportunity to address the EFF’s attacks on the commission of inquiry into state capture, as well as the party’s attacks on Pravin Gordhan and his daughter, as well as the media.
Confronted on a series of tweets about the EFF and Gordhan, Mthembu said he “stands by” them.
“I hate bullies,” he explained.
“I hated apartheid, I hated apartheid bullies, I hated the apartheid army. When anybody stands up to bully anyone, it takes me back to those days.”
He added that for him or any of his fellow party members to accept bullying would be “anti-ANC”.
The ANC politician took to Twitter on Wed to accuse the EFF of attempting “a classical deviation and diversion of attention from their well-known and recorded corruption and looting activities”.
“The EFF should hang their heads in shame for dragging the name of Gordhan’s daughter into their fight against her father. Of course, they will do anything to defend looting and corruption. This is indeed a new low in South African politics that must be condemned.”