WATCH: Group wearing CR17 T-shirts chases off 'bullying' Bathabile Dlamini

Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini is also the president of the ANC Women's League. File picture: ANA

Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini is also the president of the ANC Women's League. File picture: ANA

Published Nov 19, 2017

Share

Johannesburg - ANC Women's League President Bathabile Dlamini has been accused by members of ward 32 in KwaMhlanga of bullying them. This comes after the Women's' League leader confronted a group of ANC members wearing CR17 T-shirts when she attended an event in Mpumalanga on Saturday.

The drama unfolded behind the scenes of a Women's League mini rally held at the KwaMhlanga Stadium in Ekangala.

In a video clip seen by the Independent Media, Dlamini is seen arguing with a group of people wearing black CR17 T-shirts in support of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa who is one of the contenders in the ANC presidential race.

ANC Women's League president Bathabile Dlamini is seen arguing with a group wearing CR17 campaign T-shirts. Video: Supplied

They point toward the gate indicating that she needs to leave which she later does with a group of people who had accompanied her.

According to Clarence Maseko, the branch chairperson of Ward 20 in the region, his group has organised a women's league stokvel gathering at a venue across the Stadium.

"We did not know that those people would be there. We had already made prior arrangements. We were catering for our stokvel and serving food. People at the stadium were starved and decided to join us," he said.

No sooner they had begun proceedings Maseko said Dlamini came walking in with her bodyguards. He said they begged her to leave.

"She wanted to confront us but we asked her nicely to leave. She was saying vulgar words. She said we had been bought, indirectly accusing Cyril of buying us with money. Cyril doesn't even know us," he said.

 Maseko said they were perturbed by Dlamini's behaviour.

"It is wrong for people to think they can come here and stop every event. The event at the stadium was for women. I would have expected women there and for us to be left alone," he said.

Commenting on the issue, ANCWL spokesman Toko Xasa Maseko's event was noisy and disrupted the rally adding Dlamini took it upon herself to go and investigate and ask them to lower the volume.

"Upon her arrival she found a tent with few people dishing out liqour and t-shirts written Siyavuma, clearly targeting people attending the rally. She engaged with them and they were rude and purported to be a stokvel," she said.

She said the question was why a stokvel targeted this venue and dished out 'opponent' t-shirts.

She said rumours that Dlamini had grabbed a cellphone from a young girl filming were lies and could not be trusted, adding they were hellbent on distracting the ANCWL. 

Meanwhile, speaking at the launch of the Molo Makhwelane campaign, ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said the country needed leaders who would unite the country and who stood for dignity and that presidential candidate Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma stood for that.

She told the packed stadium filled with women no to be bothered by those who used big English words to make promises.

Political Bureau

Related Topics: