Minister of home affairs Malusi Gigaba. Picture: ANA
Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, despite all the sinister forces aimed at preventing him from becoming the next ANC leader, will not leave the ruling party. In fact, the embattled minister has promised to fight back.
In an interview with Isolezwe on Monday, Gigaba said he had no plans to leave the ANC as he grew up in the party, further throwing shade at EFF leader Julius Malema.
He said in IsiZulu: “I grew up in the ANC and I’m not just saying this like this other boy who once said he would never leave the party because he also grew up in it, only to leave it and start his own party. I won’t leave the ANC, I will be removed by people, even then I won’t be anyone’s doormat. Whoever wants to touch me can do so, but I will fight back.”
Gigaba said whoever was coming at him was trying to stop him from becoming president, a claim former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor also supported in a lengthy post on Facebook on Tuesday.
Mentor said Gigaba’s grooming to be president started in his ANC Youth League days. She claimed the home affairs minister and Fikile Mbalula were loved by everyone.
She said: “Whenever it was time for list processes for the ANC NEC elections or for parliament they would appear at the top of all lists of all factions across all provinces and at national level.
“They branded themselves as ‘Young Leaders’ at all times even when their biological clocks were ticking. It was as if they were the very first people to have led the ANC Youth League.
“They began to see themselves as future president of the ANC (Gigaba) and as future secretary general of the ANC (Fikile Mbalula) respectively. They behaved as if they were irreplaceable and indispensable. They became very big headed and saw themselves as eternal kingmakers that would soon become kings themselves.”
Also read: Can Gigaba survive Ramaphosa’s biggest test?
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