“I was also called out by that freelancer called Derek Hanekom. I am going to attend to that freelancer,” said Mbalula with his audience in stitches. He said Hanekom acted like a freelancer who responds to everything.
When an audience member whispered to Mbalula that he was in an “open session”, he responded that his comments were not a secret and that his initial remarks were also made during an open session of the ANCWL conference.
“It was not an attack; it was an illustration that we need to move with speed. It was not an attack on comrade Pravin as a person,” he said.
“I singled out an area he deals with, which is logistics and freight and I was talking about the Reserve Bank and the repo rate and the issue they point to is that we need to move with speed with regards to logistics and freight, and we need to move with speed with regards to load-shedding in the country.
“We must see progress when it comes to those matters because they are a major impediment to growth of our economy,” said Mbalula.
He said the country has a policy on rail, and that policy to move goods from road to rail should be speedily implemented.
Addressing the ANCWL conference on Saturday, Mbalula said the government had to take serious action to move commodities and other freight from the roads to rail.
Transnet’s service has been crippled by poor maintenance, a shortage of locomotives and vandalism. This has led to importers and exporters moving cargo by truck.
Business Times recently reported that Minerals Council South Africa estimated the country’s bulk commodity producers missed out on R50bn in revenues in 2022 due to problems at Transnet.
Gordhan recently made changes to the leadership of Transnet by appointing new board members.
Mbalula said it was an ANC policy to reduce the number of heavy vehicles on the highways, and this needed to be done fast.
“Now I’m going to say to Pravin Gordhan, I was with him there, I was also a minister of transport; ‘Comrade Pravin, move faster or otherwise we will move you.’”
Hanekom took to Twitter saying Mbalula’s singling out of Gordhan was uncalled for‚ and asked Mbalula whether he was happy with his own performance as a former minister.
“When you make a statement like this‚ you need to explain why you are not making a statement on a number of poor performing ministers. Are you satisfied with your own performance when you were a minister?” asked Hanekom.
The ANC later issued a statement on Saturday evening, saying Mbalula’s call for Gordhan to fast-track the country’s rail and freight logistics “does not amount to a call for his removal”.
“The minister of public enterprises will undoubtedly not provide answers alone facing our rail transport system. A clarion call for the minister to fast-track policy interventions to address our rail and freight logistics, does not amount to a call for his removal‚” said ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri.
“We have an obligation to provide adequate responses to all the challenges. Government‚ working with all South Africans‚ must find amicable programmes to extend our people’s frontiers of a better life. The ANC will‚ at all times‚ urge government to move with the necessary speed to implement policy intentions aimed at ensuring a better life to all our people.”
Mbalula confirms his U-turn on Gordhan after minister’s complaint to Ramaphosa
Image: Freddy Mavunda
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has confirmed that public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan reported him to President Cyril Ramaphosa after his remarks that if Gordhan doesn’t perform, he would face the chop.
Addressing the ANC’s local government intervention workshop in Johannesburg on Monday, Mbalula said his comments were not an attack on Gordhan but an illustration of the urgency to resolve rail issues.
Speaking in Xhosa and English, Mbalula told workshop attendees that he was compelled to issue a statement explaining his remarks after Gordhan’s complaint to Ramaphosa.
“This past weekend at the ANC women’s league (ANCWL), I said that a minister must move or will be moved, ayakhala lo minister, yakhala kwafuneka nditshintshe, ndikhuphe ne statement. (That minister cried so much, I had to change my position and issue a statement).
“That minister cried and complained to the president; why am I singling him out,” he said in Xhosa.
“I was also called out by that freelancer called Derek Hanekom. I am going to attend to that freelancer,” said Mbalula with his audience in stitches. He said Hanekom acted like a freelancer who responds to everything.
When an audience member whispered to Mbalula that he was in an “open session”, he responded that his comments were not a secret and that his initial remarks were also made during an open session of the ANCWL conference.
“It was not an attack; it was an illustration that we need to move with speed. It was not an attack on comrade Pravin as a person,” he said.
“I singled out an area he deals with, which is logistics and freight and I was talking about the Reserve Bank and the repo rate and the issue they point to is that we need to move with speed with regards to logistics and freight, and we need to move with speed with regards to load-shedding in the country.
“We must see progress when it comes to those matters because they are a major impediment to growth of our economy,” said Mbalula.
He said the country has a policy on rail, and that policy to move goods from road to rail should be speedily implemented.
Addressing the ANCWL conference on Saturday, Mbalula said the government had to take serious action to move commodities and other freight from the roads to rail.
Transnet’s service has been crippled by poor maintenance, a shortage of locomotives and vandalism. This has led to importers and exporters moving cargo by truck.
Business Times recently reported that Minerals Council South Africa estimated the country’s bulk commodity producers missed out on R50bn in revenues in 2022 due to problems at Transnet.
Gordhan recently made changes to the leadership of Transnet by appointing new board members.
Mbalula said it was an ANC policy to reduce the number of heavy vehicles on the highways, and this needed to be done fast.
“Now I’m going to say to Pravin Gordhan, I was with him there, I was also a minister of transport; ‘Comrade Pravin, move faster or otherwise we will move you.’”
Hanekom took to Twitter saying Mbalula’s singling out of Gordhan was uncalled for‚ and asked Mbalula whether he was happy with his own performance as a former minister.
“When you make a statement like this‚ you need to explain why you are not making a statement on a number of poor performing ministers. Are you satisfied with your own performance when you were a minister?” asked Hanekom.
The ANC later issued a statement on Saturday evening, saying Mbalula’s call for Gordhan to fast-track the country’s rail and freight logistics “does not amount to a call for his removal”.
“The minister of public enterprises will undoubtedly not provide answers alone facing our rail transport system. A clarion call for the minister to fast-track policy interventions to address our rail and freight logistics, does not amount to a call for his removal‚” said ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri.
“We have an obligation to provide adequate responses to all the challenges. Government‚ working with all South Africans‚ must find amicable programmes to extend our people’s frontiers of a better life. The ANC will‚ at all times‚ urge government to move with the necessary speed to implement policy intentions aimed at ensuring a better life to all our people.”
READ MORE:
Pravin Gordhan gets public lashing over Transnet
‘Are you satisfied with your performance when you were a minister?’ — Hanekom slams Mbalula
New chair for Transnet board as Gordhan shakes things up
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