Fikile Mbalula gagged by ANC after Nkandla fire pool claims
There has been speculation that party insiders believe Mbalula was campaigning against the ANC.
Prof Ntsikilelo Breakfast is a Political Analyst with Nelson Mandela University and joins Africa Melane to comment on the gag-order the ANC has imposed on its Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula.
A gagging order has reportedly been placed on African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula following comments he made to the press about the fire pool at the Nkandla homestead of former president Jacob Zuma.
Speaking in Barberton, Mpumalanga earlier this month, Mbalula claimed members of the ANC had lied in Parliament about the controversial fire pool.
His comments were later put down to getting "carried away" by the presence of journalists at the event with ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe saying Mbalula “said things he should not have said”.
"I thought he was carried away by yourself, guys. He saw the cameras and got carried away and said things he should not have said,” he added.
Political analyst Ntsikilelo Breakfast says the move to silence the secretary-general is a significant one:
"It has never happened before. Mbalula holds a very senior position after the president."
Ntsikilelo Breakfast, Political Analyst - Nelson Mandela University
Breakfast says the Mbalula's comments about the firepool were 'unfortunate':
"He was very casual on that day when he was speaking to the press"
Ntsikilelo Breakfast, Political Analyst - Nelson Mandela University
Breakfast suggests Mbalula ought to 'give space' to his spokesperson to deal with the media on his behalf and not himself be "in the spotlight all the time".
"The significance of the blunder that he made is that basically he was disregarding the judgment that was made by the Constitutional Court that Msholozi broke his oath of office"
Ntsikilelo Breakfast, Political Analyst - Nelson Mandela University
His comments also signify that the ruling party doesn't take the fight against corruption seriously, suggests Breakfast.
"You cannot crack a joke about that. You really cannot. The country's gone through hell."
Ntsikilelo Breakfast, Political Analyst - Nelson Mandela University
In light of his comments, there has been speculation that Mbalula in fact was campaigning against the ANC.
"I think the party is sensing a danger that if he is given space, he might do more harm than good"
Ntsikilelo Breakfast, Political Analyst - Nelson Mandela University