The Secretary General of the ANC, Fikile Mbalula, who has made a public admission on his statement, on Sunday 7th of January, admitting that the ANC misled parliament in Zuma's defense. This is admission is in relation to the "fire pool" that was built at former president Jacob Zuma's house in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal.
" An ad hoc committee was opened in parliament and said a swimming pool is a fire pool. The police minister (who was Nathi Nhleko at the time) was sweating, seeing that this was lies, because it is difficult to explain lies. People have lost their careers because of this thing," said Mbalula in his statement.
The "fire pool" is said to be amounted to about R3.9 Million, as according to a report compiled by the then Public Protector, Professor Thuli Madonsela.
It is believed that Mbalula is not happy about former president Jacob Zuma's formation of his new part the uMkhonto WeSizwe Party, as he will not be voting for the ANC but instead rallying for his own votes under his new party.
ON HIS 09 JANUARY TWEETS ON X
Mbalula said quite a number of things, though what stands out in those asserted points are these :
7. I admit that ultimately, as the SG also accepted, that is because clear through the courts that enormous state resources were misappropriated to achieve the renovations in Nkandla.
8. Once the apex court pronounced both its findings and its ruling on the matter, not a squeak came out of the ANC in defense of its president.
9. The matter was resolved, and the then president had to cough up the misappropriated funds.
10. The ANC, as a political party, did not use its resources to satisfy any part of the court judgment against the former president.
11. Other than members of the opposition and sworn enemies of the ANC, anyone who understood or interpreted the SG's remarks yesterday in Mpumalanga, as an admission that the ANC assisted, abetted, aided or attempted to assist, abet or aid the former president in defrauding the government, must have his/her head checked.
The public questions are : DID MBALULA JUST SET HIMSELF UP ON FIRE?
DOES MBALULA WANT TO TARNISH THE BRAND OF THE ANC?
As the public, and political analysts are asking themselves these questions. Opposition parties gun for Mbalula as he is believed to have made this admission and by the looks of things they will not put this to rest especially when time comes for the State of the Nation Address, which will be taking place soon, as the President Cyril Ramaphosa will be addressing the country touching on important issues that concern the country and its citizens.
As for the "fire pool" in question, the senior cabinet members have defended the cost of the fire pool, making statement that it was a necessary security measure to upgrade, in case of a fire at the then president's homestead.