AFRICAN National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has described former police minister and ANC member Nathi Nhleko’s resignation as a “cheap way out”.
Nhleko resigned on Monday, 4 March, which he attributed to the January comment by Mbalula about the Nkandla project and the infamous Nkandla fire pool in the rural home of former president jacob Zuma.
In the seven-page letter, addressed to the Albertina Sisulu Branch secretary Tolo Fakazi, Nhleko said that Mbalula’s accusations demonstrated the bankruptcy, lunacy, and defunct manner of thinking by the secretary-general, which has unfortunately defined the barren form the ANC has undertaken.
“Consequently, and regrettably, I resign from this African National Congress as its current values and principles are not aligned to mine.
“In the past few years, I have observed that I no longer recognise this ANC that I joined, the ANC whose only aspiration was to liberate our people. The ANC as a liberation movement spoke and acted strongly on good ethics; a collective approach; was people focused; and emphasised on humanity and freedom for all,” he said.
ALSO READ: Condolences pour in for ex-Chiefs player!
Nhleko said he had observed sad fundamental shifts in the ANC and said it was painful to see an organisation he loved dearly turning into something unrecognisable.
“This included the gradual dismantling and privatisation of state-owned enterprises, the transfer of control of vital sectors of the economy to the white-dominated private sector, the reduction of state influence and oversight in critical sectors which could potentially compromise public interest and welfare, and the reduction of employment within state-owned enterprises which led to job losses,” he said.
Reacting to this, Mbalula said: “I see Nathi Nhleko has resigned from the ANC, and he blame it on me. What a cheap way out. This fellow told the whole country that a swimming pool is a fire pool. He replaced a competent police officer Dramat, a crime fighter, with an apartheid disastrous erratic cop called Berning Ntlemeza, whom I showed the door immediately when I took over as police minister. Wait till I tell you what he advised me to do at a handover meeting.”
