MKMVA condemns the Minister of State Security for her ill-disciplined and factional behaviour, and calls for unity and discipline in the ANC election campaign

25 March 2019

The Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association( (MKMVA) is dismayed by the ill-disciplined and divisive conduct of the Minister of State Security, comrade Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, who without any cause or reason attacked the Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC), comrade Ace Magashule.

It is evident from the facts that comrade Letsatsi-Duba peddled baseless lies on social media that comrade Magashule had tampered with the candidate list of the ANC, based on a photo that was taken by a staff member of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in the offices of the IEC, while the ANC Secretary General was on request of the IEC busy comparing the ANC electronic candidate list with the hard copy of the very same candidate list that he submitted in person to the IEC. This the Secretary General did in compliance with his duties as the ANC SG, and in that capacity also as Chair of the National ANC List Committee.

Comrade Magashule conducted his duties with regards to the finalisation of the ANC candidate list in an exemplary democratic, transparent and organisationally sound manner. He should be congratulated for a job done well, under difficult circumstances.

For comrade Lersatsi-Duba instead to deliberately miss-interpret an entirely innocent and above board photograph as part of the malicious lies that she disseminated on social media is unconsciable. If there was any reasonable doubt in comrade Lersatsi-Duba's mind - which we seriously doubt - she had as an NEC member every possible opportunity and avenue available to her to contact comrade Magashule, check the real facts and get her warped and crooked suspicions straightened out.

Her not having done so, results in only one conclusion, namely that she deliberately launched an unsubstantiated, unfair and fractional attack on the Secretary General of the ANC. As a long standing member of the ANC, as well as an ex-combant of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), comrade Letsatsi-Duba certainly knows better, and should be more disciplined. As fellow ex-MK veterans, who are used to the disciplined conduct expected of liberation soldiers, we are dismayed that one of our own behaved in a such an ill-disciplined and divisive manner.

Through her behaviour comrade Letsatsi-Duba characterised herself as a malicious wedgedriver, worthy of the warning that our former President, comrade OR Tambo, issued in his closing address at the Morogoro Consultative Conference: "Be vigilant, comrades. The enemy is vigilant. Beware the wedge driver! Men/women who creep from ear to ear, driving wedges among us; who go around creating splits and divisions. Beware the wedge driver! Watch his/her poisonous tongue."

MKMVA is strongly of the opinion that the principle that members of the ANC in general, and specifically and especially members of the National Executive Committee of the ANC, should refrain from attacking each other in the media and on public platforms, should strictly be adhered to. There are adequate internal organisational and democratic structures within the ANC for comrades to engage each other, and to clarify any uncertainties.

To flagrantly flaunt this well established principle, as comrade Lersatsi-Duba had done, can only be interpreted as deliberate and with factional malicious intent. The consequence of her ill-disciplined behaviour was there for all to read about on the front page of the City Press yesteday. Such conduct is outrageous and deserving of the the strongest possible disciplinary steps!

In the midst of our election campaign, and less than two months away from the election date of the 8th of May 2019, such behavior cannot be tolerated at all. We therefore call on every member of the ANC, to cease any public attacks on each other and to conduct themselves in a disciplined manner - worthy of the rich and disciplined traditions of our 107 year old Liberation Movement.

Our revolutionary task is now to forge unity, and to work for a resounding victory for the ANC in the upcoming elections. It must now truly be a case of all hands on deck to defend and advance our National Democratic Revolution!

Issued by Carl Niehaus, NEC Member of MKMVA and National Spokesperson, 25 March 2019