Former Premier Soccer League boss Joe Ndhlela has severed ties with the Patriotic Alliance (PA) claiming the party’s boss, Gayton McKenzie, advanced more the interests of a “small clique of coloureds” and individuals who are close to him.
Ndhlela submitted his resignation to McKenzie on November 1.
In the resignation letter, which we have seen, the irked politician expressed dismay at the PA’s deviation from its original vision and values, particularly since its success in the 2021 local government election.
He raised alarm about the sudden emergence of a faction of coloured individuals closely connected to McKenzie.
“Since November 2021, after the LGE (local government elections), I have witnessed a worrying development in the party, that of the advancement of a small clique of coloureds and individuals who are close to the presidency.
“This is done under a guise and false narrative that coloureds have never been and continue not to be considered for opportunities in our country.
“The current deployment strategies effected by the presidency benefits only those with close proximity to it at the expense of highly qualified “coloureds” who are members of the PA. It is my humble submission that this strategy goes against the vision that attracted me to the PA,” he said.
Ndhlela’s resignation comes as a significant blow to the PA, which had hoped to leverage his experience and popularity.
Ndhlela, a former CEO of the PSL, joined the party in March 2021 after being approached by McKenzie and Deputy President Kenny Kunene.
He said when he joined the party, he envisioned a party that treated all members equally, regardless of race, sex, religion or social standing, but the PA has failed to quench his political thirst.
“I signed up to contribute for the betterment of the downtrodden communities. As a patriot and a military veteran, I made a promise to serve my country and my people using the PA as a vehicle to achieve this objective but regretfully the lack of well-defined policies is retarding this noble objective.
Therefore, for the reasons stated above, I am hereby resigning from the Patriotic Alliance with immediate effect. I wish you and everyone in the PA the best in the future and hope that they can help change this country for the better,” Ndhlela said.
He further declared his commitment to maintaining his integrity and not compromising it for materialistic pursuits.
“My integrity will not be swapped for money, power, or fame,” he said.
McKenzie and Kunene have denied appointing Ndhlela to any executive positions. Kunene stated: “Bra Joe wanted a job, we said here are vacancies and he applied but he did not attach any qualifications; we wanted qualifications.”
“We are not a corrupt party and I am happy that our people didn’t appoint someone who is unable to provide copies of his degree,” McKenzie said.
Ndhlela countered the claims, revealing that McKenzie had offered him a stipend of R65 000 for the job as a special adviser but has not paid him since he assumed office.
“That is not true. I was not an ordinary member. I was an executive. I was a member of the national executive committee. They must not bull***t you. They need to be careful because they even offered to pay me a monthly stipend of about R65 000, which they never honoured. “It is utter nonsense; it portrays and confirms my uncomfortableness about their conduct. They are not honourable people. I was a special adviser to their office, not an ordinary member.
“No one can serve under those individuals because they still think running a political party is like running a prison cell or prison gang.
“They are not honest. They have got no integrity,” Ndhlela said.
