'Focus and stop the side shows,' mayor Masina tells 'national chef' Tito Mboweni

Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina says finance minister Tito Mboweni must stop the “side shows” and focus his energy on issues of land expropriation without compensation and nationalising the Reserve Bank.

Masina took the swipe at the minister on Tuesday after Mboweni accused him of attacking the ruling party in a Twitter rant on Monday night. Mboweni called on party members to stop “feeding the frenzy” and help unite the ruling party.

“These relentless attacks on our organisation must stop. And ANC leaders must not feed the frenzy! Order comrades! We must unite and call young comrades like @MzwandileMasina to order! Stop fire! Unite!," Mboweni wrote.

Masina joined a small group of protesters outside the St George Hotel in Pretoria on Saturday, the venue where ANC national executive committee members had gathered for a meeting. He called for ANC members accused of corruption to step aside while he held a placard which read “ANC members did not send deployees to steal in government”.

Masina told the SABC that if President Cyril Ramaphosa is implicated in any wrongdoing and has a pending court case, he must also step aside.

“I felt it is important for me to be here to picket and add my voice to say enough is enough. No-one is bigger than the ANC. We must save the ANC, not individuals, because if we sought to save individuals, the ANC will perish,” he said.

Minister in the presidency Jackson Mthembu came to Ramaphosa's defence and called on Masina to “correct” himself.