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Bathabile Dlamini asks Mboweni what he means by Mkhwebane ‘falling on her sword’
The women's league leader had Twitter users both explaining the idiom to her and wondering if apparently trying to play the gender card was even justified.
Then minister Bathabile Dlamini was held personally responsible for the Sassa crisis. Picture: Gallo Images
In an evident minor Twar further dividing the factional lines between those in the ANC supporting Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane and those seeking her ousting, ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini fired a salvo at Finance Minister Tito Mboweni over the issue.
Mboweni had earlier made no bones about what he wanted the public protector to do following her recent damning court loss against President Cyril Ramaphosa.
He called on her to “fall on her sword”, a common expression for resigning after failure, but Dlamini seemed to need an explanation of what exactly this meant.
She took issue with the language used, calling it “strong” and asking him “how many more women must fall on their sword and who gets excited when women fall on their sword and for how long are women going to fall on their swords”.
She then added, even more confusingly, “Who is the coach of this club if this is a game”.
I wonder what this means ,should a woman fall on her sword ,strong language .how many more women must fall on their sword and who gets excited when women fall on their sword and for how long are women going to fall on their swords .Who is the coach of this club if this is a game
— Bathabile Dlamini (@sbahlesonke0) March 11, 2020
Several Twitter users were quick to tell the former minister she was wrong to try to make Mkhwebane’s chequered legal record a matter of gender bias.
They also pointed to Dlamini’s own past and similar legal setbacks. Dlamini was once convicted of fraud after pleading guilty to a total of R245,000 in fraudulent travel claims and in 2018 was found to have possibly lied to the Constitutional Court during the Sassa-Cash Paymaster Services scandal, while she was social development minister.
Why always throw gender issue,it got nothing to do with man or female.U missing the point here.I'm gland NDZ didn't win,u would hammering us with gender if NDZ being criticized if she was a President.please think beyond Mama Bathabile.
— Brian Khumalo (Proudly PMB) (@Briantkhumalo) March 11, 2020
It is not a matter of gender. Do not hide behind gender wena. In fact you were pronounced by the Courts to be like her. Hence, the defence! pic.twitter.com/w0J9h4Wiy1
— Corruption-Hater 🦅🇿🇦🦁 (@MadiBoity) March 11, 2020
Why are you making this a "woman" issue. It is not. She is found wanting by a court of law an the fact that she's a woman has absolutely nothing to do with her incompetence as a public protector.
— FighterPilot (@freedomtoday99) March 11, 2020
Have you been drinking? So many words, so little sense.
— 1buzzlightyear (@1buzzlightyear) March 12, 2020
"how many women must fall on their swords?"
"fall on sword" means resign when embarrassed.
"how many?" As many as there are parasitic, crooked looters in the ANC, virtually every caucus and the entire NEC.Stop inflaming twitter mobs to distract from YOUR failings.
— Colin Braude (@colinbraude) March 11, 2020
Other users took the time to explain the figure of speech to Dlamini.
It’s a figure of speech, Mama. A very apt one considering the pronouncements made against Adv. Mkhwebane.
Your response – a literal hyperbolic mess – is not gonna have the desired outcome. Political leaders shouldn’t argue on Twitter. Kindly spare us the 3rd party embarrassment— 🏳️🌈🧜🏿♀️ Cassandra Gudlhuza 🐆🏳️🌈 (@MsCassandraGud) March 12, 2020
Mama, what Minister Mboweni is saying is that the PP must just do the honourable, resign.
— Bheki Mathabathe (@BhekiMathabathe) March 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/MdakaZak/status/1237830935527280645?s=20
So women must not be criticized because they are women???
— brand… sdu (@MtwaPaul) March 11, 2020
It emerged on Wednesday that Mkhwebane had suspended Sphelo Samuel, the head of her office in the Free State, after he wrote a formal letter to her on Tuesday calling on her to resign.
His letter was penned on the same day Mkhwebane suffered a devastating court loss to Ramaphosa when her report and recommendations into him and his funding team for the ANC’s 2017 elections were set aside.
The High Court in Pretoria delivered a scathing judgment against her findings and remedial action in her investigation into Ramaphosa’s ANC presidential campaign donations.
A full bench of judges set aside the findings, stating she had acted unlawfully, recklessly and without jurisdiction to investigate Ramaphosa’s political party campaign. The court also ruled that Mkhwebane’s findings included material errors in law. She did not even have jurisdiction to investigate the funding of the CR17 campaign in the first place.
Mboweni was not alone in his view in the ANC. Several high-ranking ANC figures and the party’s alliance partner the SACP also called on her to resign.
Head of the ANC presidency Sibongile Besani said the ruling affirmed his belief that Mkhwebane’s findings against Ramaphosa lacked logical objectivity and played into ANC factionalism.
“The Office of the Public Protector and its image has been terribly damaged, which speaks to her capabilities. This judgment shows that the good image of the office has been tainted. The facts are there to demonstrate that view,” said Besani.
“Whether that goes to parliament, we will leave that to the ANC to take a view.
“There was a clear agenda to tarnish the image of the president and thank God we are in a constitutional democracy. The courts of law have gone further to demonstrate that there was nothing criminal on the part of the president on that matter.”
Mkhwebane has previously said that, in her view, only God can remove her. Parliament, however, has begun a process that may lead to her removal.
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