Former police minister Nathi Nhleko has announced his resignation from the ANC.
The decision comes in the wake of a heated exchange with the party’s secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, who accused Nhleko of deceiving parliament during the Nkandla scandal inquiry involving former president Jacob Zuma.
Nhleko announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the Albertina Sisulu branch secretary, Tolo Fakazi.
In the letter, he cited irreconcilable differences between his values and the current trajectory of the governing party.
Departure from founding principles
He expressed disillusionment with what he perceives as a departure from the party’s founding principles, emphasising a shift away from collective action, ethics, and people-centric policies.
“The bankruptcy, lunacy, and defunct manner of thinking by the secretary-general, which has unfortunately defined the barren form the ANC has undertaken,” he wrote.
“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 humanity and freedom for all.
“Consequently, and regrettably, I resign from this African National Congress as its current values and principles are not aligned with mine.”
Recent revelations made by Mbalula regarding the ANC’s actions during the Nkandla saga deepened the rift between Nhleko and Mbalula.
In January, Mbalula admitted to misleading parliament in defence of Zuma, disclosing that false information was presented to protect the former president.
“We went to parliament and opened an ad hoc committee and said a swimming pool is a fire pool,” Mbalula said at the time.
Lying before parliament
“The [then] police minister [Nathi Nhleko] was sweating, seeing that this was a lie because it is difficult to explain lies. People have lost their careers because of that thing.”
These revelations have stirred controversy within the ANC, with Nhleko labelling Mbalula as the party’s worst secretary-general in its 112-year history.
“We are not going anywhere as the ANC if we still have a secretary-general of his calibre, the worst of kind ever in the 112-year-old liberation movement,” said Nhleko.
“You cannot talk before you think; it cannot happen that way. It’s a typical behaviour of a [beetle rolling cow dung]. You cannot have someone with a leadership responsibility behaving this way.
“If he says I lied, he must be able to prove it. Who actually gave me the instruction to lie on behalf of the ANC? If he fails to prove that, then he is in trouble.”
