A former high-ranking government minister in South Africa, Nathi Nhleko, has parted ways with the African National Congress (ANC), delivering a scathing critique of the party.
Nhleko expressed deep dismay as he witnessed the ANC transform into a political entity he no longer identified with, citing the implementation of austerity measures and the dismantling of state-owned companies.
Having been closely associated with the scandal-plagued former President Jacob Zuma, Nhleko’s departure comes amid the ANC’s suspension of Zuma earlier this year for supporting a rival party.
In response to Nhleko’s resignation, an ANC official dismissed him with a “good riddance.” Zuma, on the other hand, aligned himself with the new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party in December and is actively leading its campaign for the upcoming general election on May 29.
While Mr. Nhleko’s future plans remain uncertain, some of the language in his resignation letter echoed that of Mr. Zuma when he declared his support for MK in December.
The party is named after the armed wing established by the ANC during the struggle against white-minority rule in South Africa.
During his tenure as the police minister in Mr. Zuma’s cabinet, Nhleko gained notoriety for justifying the use of $23 million (£15 million) in government funds to upgrade the former president’s private residence in Nkandla.
Widely criticised at the time, Nhleko defended the expenses as necessary security upgrades, including a swimming pool referred to as a “fire pool” for potential emergencies in Mr. Zuma’s home village of Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal province. Other additions included an amphitheatre, cattle enclosure, and chicken run.
On the campaign trail in January, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said Mr Nhleko was “sweating” at the time as he was forced to defend “lies” in parliament.
Mr Nhleko suggested that these comments triggered his decision to quit the party.
“In the past few years, I have observed that I no longer recognise this ANC that I joined, the ANC whose only aspiration was to liberate our people,” he said, in the resignation letter quoted by the Mail & Guardian newspaper.
This included handing control of key sectors of the economy to the “white-dominated private sector”, and reducing “social spending” to the detriment of the financially needy, Mr Nhleko added.
