Carl Niehaus expelled from ANC
The ANC's national disciplinary committee has expelled former Umkhonto Wesizwe Military Veteran’s Association (MKMVA) spokesperson Carl Niehaus from the party for his comments on the July unrest.
In a report signed by the committee chairperson Ralph Mgijimi on Monday, the committee found him guilty on six counts of misconduct for contravening the party's constitution.
The charges relate to his comment during the July 2021 unrest, following the Constitutional Court ruling that found former president Jacob Zuma guilty of contempt of court.
One of Niehaus's comments was that "the whole Zondo Commission was set up to target President Zuma. Our courts have clearly been captured. We are living in a dictatorship of the judiciary and the courts have become a tool for factional political battles to target certain politicians while others are let off the hook”.
The ANC says his comments brought the party into disrepute.
"The NDC took into consideration the fact that the charged member is a senior and long-standing member of the ANC, had served a term of imprisonment for his political beliefs and held strong and sometimes contrary views on the policies of the ANC and positions adopted by the NEC from time to time,” the committee said in its findings.
“The NDC finds that notwithstanding the charged member’s strong views, he, like all other members of the ANC, were bound by the code of conduct of the organisation.
“Whilst the ANC was very tolerant of differing views, it was the obligation of every member to abide by the stated policies and positions of the organisation as articulated by the NEC from time to time. No member was exempted or allowed to adopt a posture which defined him or her as being bigger than the organization.”
The committee doesn’t believe Niehaus is capable of being rehabilitated.
"The sanction imposed by the NDC was not taken easily, especially in light of the charged member’s history and the time he devoted to the struggle as a member of the ANC.
“However, the NDC is of the view that the interests and integrity of the organisation warrant protection and that the interest of the individual member is subservient to the interests of the organisation.”
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