Johannesburg - Despite the daggers being out for him, ANC national executive member Fikile Mbalula remains unapologetic and defiant after he allegedly described fellow comrade Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu as a “criminal.”
Sisulu lodged an official complaint against Mbalula to ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule Wednesday in which she asked Magashule to institute disciplinary proceedings against Mbalula.
The Twitter war began on March 8 when Sisulu posted a picture of a dinner party hosted by former president Jacob Zuma for all the candidates who were vying for the ANC presidential post ahead of their elective conference in December 2017.
Now, Sisulu claims that Mbalula labelled her a “criminal” - an allegation the Transport Minister denies after seeing Sisulu’s letter to Magashule circulating on social media on Sunday.
In her complaint, Sisulu said Mbalula’s responses on Twitter showed an “uncomradely attitude and was clearly sexist.”
“The last thing I expected was an irresponsible response from an NWC (ANC national working committee) comrade. It thought it was a most inappropriate way of responding to my tweet and lowered the dignity and integrity of the ANC in the public domain. It was exceedingly unseemly,” she said.
She added: “I therefore wish to formally place on record my complaint over Comrade Fikile Mbalula’s tweet wherein he responded to a tweet trail I published on Monday 8 March 2021 about a dinner by Former President Zuma in 2017. In responding to a person who commented on my tweet, the impression is created that he is also responding to my tweet and calling me a “criminal.”
She further said: “If indeed Cde Mbalula is labelling me a criminal, this would not only amount to crimen injuria, but it is also a violation of the ANC’s social media policy which prescribes that “any social media posting must be legal, ethical and respectful at all times.”
Sisulu pointed out that Rule 40 of the ANC constitution prohibits party members from using inflammatory languages.
“I appeal and request the Disciplinary Committee to engage Cde Mbalula in this matter. If he was not responding to me, he would have clarified the matter immediately. Enough time has lapsed for him to clarify his comments.
“The Deputy SG noted that he responded to me and two others, without correcting it,” Sisulu said.
The former Minister for International Relations is said to have posted the picture of the dinner for the general public to understand that, when they contest each other, it did not mean they did not like each other adding: “for me it showed that the ANC is most united and most mature.”
Dear Cde Lindiwe
— |Mr Fix (@MbalulaFikile) March 14, 2021
I have taken note of your letter to the Secretary-General of the ANC making unfounded allegations against myself. It is rather unfortunate that you chose to write to the SG without affording me a basic courtesy of clarifying the tweet and my comments thereto. pic.twitter.com/74UoQpBiTi
Mbalula fought back on Twitter, denying claims made by Sisulu. He also expressed his dismay at Sisulu’s alleged failure to seek an explanation from him directly but chose to approach Magashule.
This is what i asked🤟🤟🤟🤟👇👇👇👇👇👇👇Ndikuthuke Phi ? @LindiweSisuluSA pic.twitter.com/g7yItPZUSs
— |Mr Fix (@MbalulaFikile) March 14, 2021
“The comments that you clearly mistook as a reference to you were a response to an individual, a certain Mgcini Mchunu with a twitter handle @cuzini, who called me a political prostitute.
“My reference to criminals was obviously a reference to his tweet. The only reference to you is a question I posed, asking how much did you spend on the campaign, a question you never responded to,” Mbalula said.
He said everything else on his timeline was exchanges between him and those that responded to his tweet.
“You will know that the context of my question to you on the funding is premised on you being an outspoken proponent of the calls for the CR17 bank accounts to be investigated.
“It is therefore my considered view that I owe you no apology as the basis of your complaint is based on the opportunistic reading of my tweet and the comments on my timeline,” Mbalula said.
Political Bureau