Carl Niehaus takes aim at ANC leadership: ‘They failed and they will no longer be able to shape up’

Suspended ANC member Carl Niehaus has taken aim at the ruling party’s leadership, after  disciplinary charges were brought against him.

The ANC on Friday charged him with six counts for allegedly contravening the party’s constitution.

IOL reported that the charges were in connection with comments Niehaus made in July outside the home of former president Jacob Zuma in Nkandla, northern KwaZulu-Natal, where he protested against Zuma’s incarceration for being in contempt of the Constitutional Court.

In a video released on his YouTube page, Niehaus said the party’s move was “silly tit-for-tat politics”.

He said he was being singled out because he made “certain senior managers of the ANC” uncomfortable over alleged “financial mismanagement and the crimes that they committed”.

“The leadership who failed the ANC, both administratively and politically, mismanaged the finances of the ANC, messed up the politics of the ANC, abused the legal system [and] used the law for factional political purposes. That leadership must go,” said Niehaus. 

“I’ve said so at election rallies and I will say it in this recording, they failed and they will no longer be able to shape up because it’s gone too far.

“So, there’s only one way for that, they must ship out. Finish and klaar. Whether you like it or not, I can’t care less, that’s a reality, a fact and I stand by it.”

Niehaus has previously threatened to open criminal charges against the party leadership after the ANC failed to pay its staff salaries on time for several months.

Sunday Times Daily reported that ANC general manager Febe Potgieter, before issuing the dismissal letter, asked Niehaus to give reasons why he should not be fired. Potgieter later issued a letter informing Niehaus of his dismissal.

Potgieter said Niehaus had been warned several times about his public behaviour and pronouncements against the party.