Good riddance or bad call? Social media weighs in on ANC's move to suspend Carl Niehaus

Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) spokesperson Carl Niehaus has received little sympathy from the public following news on Tuesday that the ANC is moving to suspend him.

The move by the ruling party comes after his attack on deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte in a public letter issued on January 14.

In the letter, Niehaus claimed there was a “massive smear campaign” against him and accused Duarte of “attacking and undermining my long history as a 42-year veteran of the ANC in good standing”.

Reacting to reports of the ANC’s intention to suspend him, Phumlani M Majozi tweeted: “Very bad news this morning: Carl Niehaus suspended from his ANC job. I hope they bring him back to his job soonest. I want him in his job so he continues to tarnish the ANC’s reputation.”

Lunah Tuc tweeted that the news was not surprising, and long overdue.

“Honestly, I expected this suspension last year. Carl Niehaus is a menace to society. They should’ve dealt with his arse a long time ago. I don’t understand why that fool is even still an ANC member. This a perfect time to terminate his membership.” 

A letter written by ANC general manager Febe Potgieter-Gqubule reminded Niehaus he is employed by the office of the secretary-general to support its work. It stated the party has on “more than one occasion” voiced its concerns about his “unbecoming” social media posts.

“You have been advised, on more than one occasion, that your public statements and social media posts are unbecoming of someone working in this high office, which has the primary responsibility of driving and co-ordinating the work of all structures of the ANC. You also received a written warning to this effect on October 12 2019,” reads the letter.

Niehaus, who has 48 hours to respond to the letter, would not be drawn to comment when called by TimesLIVE.

“I do not comment on leaked letters,” he said.

Here’s a glimpse into the reactions on social media: