Embattled uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veteran (MKMVA) member Carl Niehaus on Friday announced he was resigning and terminating his membership of over 43 years with the African National Congress (ANC) with immediate effect.
This comes despite the ANC having already expelling him from the party.
Niehaus was charged with six counts of misconduct for contravening Rule 25 of the ANC constitution.
In a lengthy statement posted on social media platform Twitter, Niehaus wrote: “It is with great sadness and much pain in my heart that I am issuing this media statement in order to announce and clarify my decision to resign forthwith from the ANC.”
In the letter, Niehaus further stated that he had already e-mailed a copy together with a short cover letter to the Office of the ANC Secretary General (SGO).
"I have furthermore instructed my comrade and legal representative, Mathews Phosa, to officially withdraw my appeal against the spurious, draconian, and illegal, ‘expulsion’ that the kangaroo court of the National Disciplinary Committee so unilaterally, and illegally, imposed on me," he said.
He indicated that there was no need for him to subject himself to the continuing "farcical kangaroo" court of the ANC National Disciplinary Committee and by extension the National Disciplinary Committee of Appeal.
Niehaus also said charges against him never had any shred of validity.
The MK veteran claimed that there was no chance that any appeal would be adjudicated fairly under the leadership of the newly elected Secretary General (SG) Fikile Mbalula.
"Under that pompous vacuous moronic windbag Fikile Mbalula, who now so farcical emerged as the Secretary-General (SG) of the ANC, there is no chance that any appeal will be adjudicated fairly.
"Mbalula’s own triumphalist dictatorial statement at the closing press conference of the 55th National Conference, that he will be an Inquisition-like enforcer, is more than enough evidence that the so-called ‘New Dawn’, is now a full-blown era of dictatorship and the repression of freedom of speech," he mentioned.
He further called on fellow members to resign and leave "this hollowed-out Trojan horse of neoliberal imperialism to implode on its own."
"I plead with my fellow comrades not to continue to sacrifice your rich liberation history, and revolutionary commitment, on the evil altar of Mammon (the false god of crass materialism and money).
"Your continued presence in this sham ‘ANC’ will only be abused to create a fake semblance of the non-existent ‘legitimacy’ to a sell-out project, and in the process, your own integrity will be compromised and destroyed," he said.
He further maintained that there was nothing left for the comrades in the ANC. "Tragically, the true ANC that you joined is dead," he added.
"I pledge that I will continue to dedicate my life, and all the energy that I have, to the liberation ideals that in the first instance brought me to join the ANC. Personally, absolutely nothing has changed for me. I will continue to be fully part of the struggle for Radical Economic Transformation (RET), and full liberation.
"When one vehicle for the achievement of our liberation falters and dies - as is the case with the ANC - others MUST emerge. Ultimately the ideal of a truly liberated and just South Africa can, and will, never be destroyed," Niehaus said.
kamogelo.moichela@inl.co.za
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