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‘Magashule has reached a cul-de-sac in his ANC career’ – Mantashe defends Mbalula
'If I was Mbalula I wouldn't respond to that,' ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe said.
Former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule outside the Bloemfontein High Court on 21 February 2022. Picture: Gallo Images/Volksblad/Mlungisi Louw
ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe has defended the party’s secretary-general Fikile Mbalula after his predecessor, Ace Magashule, referred to him as “a boy” in politics.
‘Mbalula not a boy’
Mantashe was speaking at the ANC Free State elective conference at Imvelo Safari Lodge in Mangaung on Saturday, where he hit back at Magashule.
“From where I am seated, comrades, Mbalula is not a boy. He is the secretary-general of the ANC,” Mantashe said.
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“I was talking to a few NEC [national executive committee] members… they asked about [Magashule’s comments] and I said if I was Mbalula I wouldn’t respond to that.”
Magashule ‘reached a cul-de-sac’
Mantashe also seemingly insinuated that Magashule’s political career has reached the end of the road.
“When I mentor a young man and see him as a young man forever, it does not say something about the young man. It says something about me. It means I constitute a cul-de-sac because I must be able to produce people to grow and take over from me and become my leader. [By doing that], I am playing my role as a leader,” he continued.
Magashule made his remarks ahead of his appearance in the Bloemfontein High Court in relation to the R225 million Free State asbestos corruption case on Friday.
He said Mbalula was one of the people whom he groomed into politics.
“He comes from Botshabelo. In the 80s, he was one of the boys I was looking after and he is still a boy,” Magashule said.
READ MORE: Magashule claims he was nominated for ANC NEC, but disqualified from standing
The former ANC secretary-general also said that Mbalula had even reached out to him in attempt to repair their relationship.
Mbalula previously publicly criticised Magashule, saying the then Free State premier would destroy what was left of the ANC if he was elected as the party’s secretary-general.
“Ace Magashule is a definite no no no, the man will finish what is remaining of our movement. He will kill it,” Mbalula tweeted in 2017.
ANC Free State conference
Magashule’s political career suffered a blow at the weekend as his dominance in Free State came to came end at the ANC’s provincial conference.
None of Magashule’s allies in the province were elected to the party’s provincial leadership.
Despite his faction trying to stop the conference via an interdict, Magashule’s arch-rival, Mxolisi Dukwana, was named as the new ANC Free State provincial chair.
On Friday, after his appearance, the former ANC secretary-general claimed that processes leading up to the conference had been rigged and that those associated with him were guaranteed to lose.
Magashule also maintained the corruption case against him was politically motivated.
“This was a waste of time, this case was politically motivated to prevent me from contesting at the elective conference, and now that it has served its purpose, I believe it would move along quicker.”
The matter has been postponed to 5 May 2023.
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