Niehaus to Mbalula: Don't be fooled by 'white' media!

Controversial former ANC spokesman Carl Niehaus has hit back at the party's election campaign head Fikile Mbalula for distancing the organisation from Niehaus's recent apology to the Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini.

Niehaus advised Mbalula not to get “excited” and “misled” by “white monopoly capital” media – saying he never claimed to be speaking on behalf of the ANC when he addressed the king's imbizo in Ulundi on Wednesday.

“If Mbalula had listened to my full speech‚ he would have not allowed himself to be excited and misled by journalists of the mainstream media‚ who are in the employ of white monopoly capital‚ into launching an entirely unwarranted attack on me‚” said Niehaus.

During the imbizo‚ Niehaus apologised to the Zulu ruler on behalf of the ANC and criticised those who intended to interfere in the management of the Ingonyama Trust‚ of which the king is the sole trustee.

Mbalula quickly lashed out at Niehaus‚ saying he was not mandated to speak on behalf of the ANC.

“Carl Niehaus has got no such mandate. He is an MKMVA spokesperson‚” said Mbalula. “The ANC will speak for itself. The ANC did not mandate him to go and speak on its behalf and apologise.”

Now Niehaus has “corrected” Mbalula‚ saying: “I have not claimed to speak with a mandate on behalf of the ANC or MKMVA.”

Niehaus said his remarks were an attempt to clarify that the ANC had not taken any formal position on what to do with the trust.

“When participants of the imbizo were invited to make inputs‚ I took the opportunity to address the imbizo and state unequivocally that the ANC is not negatively disposed towards the Ingonyama Trust and had not accepted the findings of the high-level commission‚” said Niehaus.

He was referring to the commission that recommended that the Ingonyama Trust Act be repealed or amended and that the trust itself be collapsed to cede control of traditional land to the state. Niehaus also urged all parties committed to the full implementation of expropriation of land without compensation to focus on the return of over 70% of the land still owned by whites to its “rightful black owners”.