Opposition parties welcome Manana resignation

Calls had been mounting for Manana to resign after he admitted to assaulting a young woman during a brawl at a Johannesburg nightclub.

"The DA welcomes Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mduduzi Manana's, resignation", the party's Shadow Minister of Higher Education, Belinda Bozzoli says.

"It must be noted, however, that if the ANC truly wanted to prioritise protecting women from abuse, Manana should have been removed as soon as he had admitted to assaulting a women almost two weeks ago."

"The president should have actually fired him right away to send a very strong message to the country about violence against women".

Bozzoli says it is also very problematic that Manana remains a member of parliament.

"Our MP's should really be honourable, they should be impeccable in their behaviour and that's something he should now think about."

The Congress of the People has meanwhile described Manana's resignation as long overdue. 

"We view his resignation not as a show or genuine remorse on his part or because of action by Jacob Zuma. It is the result of unrelenting and growing wave of public pressure against his continued holding of public office. He was forced to fall on his sword," says COPE's Glacier Nkhwashu. 

"The likes of Jacob Zuma and Bathabile Dlamini must take note that the people of South Africa takes a dim view of their tardy response to a serious scourge of violent abuse perpetrated against women. They are not prepared to tolerate any further abuse, not even for a second."  

"Leaders must set the tone and lead by example by acting expeditiously against such morally reprehensible conduct," says Nkhwashu.

"COPE is of the view that the next right step is to request parliament to speedily summon him to the Joint Member's Ethics  Committee to hold him fully accountable and for bringing the institution into disrepute." 

"There must be no place to hide for women bashers like Mduduzi Manana", Nkwashu says.