The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has distanced itself from the remarks of Sylvester Mangolele who called for the removal of President Ramaphosa from office.
Mangolele served as Lieutenant Commander in the SA Navy.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the SANDF confirmed that Mangolele was dismissed from the defence force in 2018 and his utterances were not on behalf of the military. It said that he was expelled due to misconduct.
This comes after the fired commander made a video on social media, threatening to remove Ramaphosa from office in 48 hours if he failed to report to the Naval College in Gordon’s Bay, Western Cape, to physically hand in his resignation.
A senior naval officer is threatening to remove Pres Cyril Ramaphosa by the end of today if the president fails to report to the naval college at Gordons Bay to hand in his resignation. pic.twitter.com/zicN2TGl3A
— The Instigator (@Am_Blujay) January 2, 2024
In the video, Mangolele can be heard calling for Ramaphosa to step down, as the time had come, citing violations of the Constitution as a major reason.
He said he is doing this “in service and defence of my country and its people in accordance with the Constitution and the law.”
“We are not playing games anymore, we must drive and lead this country in accordance with the Constitution,” he said, adding that the SANDF was the last line of defence if State organs failed.
He said the president’s administration made it difficult for many people, including himself, to make ends meet.
“I am a father to two beautiful children and your administration is making sure that this does not happen. I do not father my children, I do not effect change in my country,” he said.
He accused Ramaphosa of failing to respect, promote, defend, and uphold section 9(2) of the Constitution which states that equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms.
The SANDF rubbished Mangolele's utterances, stating that his comments were not reflective of, nor representative of the SANDF in any way, shape, or form.
“The SANDF condemns Sylvester Mangolele’s utterances with (the) contempt it deserves,” said SANDF spokesperson, Siphiwe Dlamini
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