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- The ANC has come to the defence of Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula who has been on the receiving end of sharp critique from individuals in his department.
- A group claiming to be ANC members in the department complained of several alleged irregularities in a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
- The group also labelled Mbalula a "celebrity minister of Twitter".
The ANC has called on Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula not to be distracted by the gossip of a group of "faceless" ANC members in the transport department who slammed him in a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe said the faceless individuals who claimed to be ANC comrades, members and supporters in the department had made unsubstantiated allegations.
The party issued an unprecedented statement in support of Mbalula on Monday in response to the group who labelled him a "celebrity minister of Twitter".
READ | Mbalula calls on disgruntled staffers to share grievance internally after damning open letter
The letter, which centred on several alleged irregularities in the department, follows Ramaphosa's open letter to ANC members in which he said the party stood as accused number one when it came to corruption in the country.
Mabe said the party had urged Mbalula not to allow faceless individuals to undermine the ANC's ability to deliver on its electoral mandate.
Qualms
"They have no qualms to go to extreme lengths of questioning the prerogative of the president to appoint ministers and deputy ministers.
"The ANC distances itself from these faceless individuals and rejects their claim that they act as ANC comrades, members and supporters, with the contempt it deserves. Disciplined ANC cadres understand the internal channels to raise issues and do not use the cover of being cadres, members and supporters to promote anarchy."
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The group's letter is addressed to, among others, National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise, Parliament's transport committee chairperson Mosebenzi Zwane, Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, Auditor-General Kimi Makwethu and South Africans "that still care about the country and its future".
Mabe said President Cyril Ramaphosa has been emphatic in communicating the views of the ANC leadership collective.
"Civil servants should refrain from getting involved in party political matters in the course of their duties. We therefore call on all public servants to respect this injunction and execute their mandate diligently without fear or favour.
"The ANC has the utmost confidence in the leadership of Mbalula in tackling the pressing challenges in the Department of Transport. We have noted the great strides he has made in prioritising challenges in the public transport sector," he added.
