ANC must go find someone else to bully, says Holomisa

United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa has penned a short, scathing statement against the ANC after it defended its deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte after she was allegedly referred to as a “tea girl” by Holomisa.

Holomisa said Duarte started the fire when she allegedly made scornful remarks about leaders who have left the ANC and in her defence, the party was now “playing the gender card”.

“Ms Duarte in a recent ‘documentary’ attacked me by calling me a dictator. I answered the volley and now the ANC is defending Ms Duarte by conveniently playing the gender card.

“We have, over the years, noted that Ms Duarte has a tendency of even undermining her own leaders in the media. Now, when she experiences vehement resistance and someone calls her out, she (and the ANC) cries foul,” said Holomisa in a statement.

The UDM leader warned the party against “attacking” people without expecting a comeback.

“They must go find someone else to bully,” he said.

The ANC released a statement earlier today condemning Holomisa for “belittling women”, further calling on the UDM to distance itself from its leader’s “misogynistic” tendencies.

“This blatant contempt for and belittling of women has no place in a non-sexist and democratic society which frowns upon misogyny and all its manifestations. We must isolate and reject all those who derive pleasure from abusing and undermining women.

“He must be condemned by all South Africans who are committed to uprooting the demon of sexism and the oppression of women from our society.

“Comrade Jessie is a solid cadre of our movement who has earned her stripes in the trenches. Her decades of sacrifice and contribution to the struggle for liberation and the reconstruction and development of our country cannot be reduced nor erased by a sexist label. This is a huge insult to Cde Jessie, the women of the congress movement and South African women in general.”

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