Johnathan Paoli
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise has dismissed recent reports that have linked her with former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party.
Modise released a statement on Tuesday and said that she was appalled by suggestions that she had defected from the ANC, left her position in the Cabinet and resigned from the ANC.
The ANC veteran said that she was disgusted by what she described as “fake news” and said that she had no plans to leave the ANC or her Cabinet position.
“I reject all these nonsensical lies that I have left the ANC for any party. I will stay in the ANC and I intend to die as a member of the ANC, no matter what happens to the ANC. So I would like people to know that those lies out there could not have come from me”, Modise said.
The Minister said the rumours were part of an attempt to sow divisions within the party and its work in governance and that these reports were barbaric acts in order to drive a wedge between ANC members and undermine the unity of the party.
She said the report about the defection rumour was a mockery of journalism and urged the public to remain vigilant and extremely cautious of consuming news from unverified sources.
“I want to say to the loyal members of the ANC, continue doing the good work of making sure that we continue to improve the living conditions of our people, and that our comrades who have left and have died in the hands of the apartheid system did not die in vain. That is why no matter what happens to the ANC, I will stay a member of the ANC,” Modise said.
On Monday a former MP and KwaZulu-Natal MPL Mervyn Dirks who recently resigned to join the uMkhonto weSizwe party, confirmed his expulsion from the ANC.
Dirks’ confirmation of his expulsion came after he shared a letter signed by provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo, dated 25 February, 2024 and said that he remained focused and happy following his expulsion.
“My only mission now is to mobilise votes for MK. I will not speak about any other political party,” Dirks said.
Previously Dirks resigned from the National Assembly following a conflict with ANC Parliament leaders in January 2022 when they failed to overturn his suspension from Parliament after the Western Cape High Court struck his application off the roll.
THe ANC head of elections strategy Mdumiseni Ntuli said the party was engaging with those who have resigned to join the newly-formed party and said that it was a matter of deep concern that long-standing party members were leaving the party and wanted to get to the bottom of the circumstances behind their decision.
“We want to know why people left but we also want to engage with those who have been approached and find out why this is the case,” Ntuli said.
Ntuli said that the party was working to strengthen the ANC to deliver on its strategic task which is to improve on the quality of cadreship in the party.
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