Mbalula calls Carl Niehaus an ‘unrepentant thug’ in Twitter row
During their last fiery exchange on Twitter, Fikile Mbalula said Carl Niehaus was a thug who was deployed to the ANC’s headquarters by secretary general, Ace Magashule
Yikes! The hostility between Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and uMkhonto Wesizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) spokesperson Carl Niehaus seems to know no end. The two have been at it again, having recently reignited their “feud” on Twitter.
Niehaus had posted a clip of Mbalula and captioned it: “Eish, if opportunism, inconsistency and turncoating was a person”
Never one to back down from a Twitter jab, Mbalula responded by labelling Niehaus a thug whom nobody in the ANC ever took seriously.
“Carl Niehaus u are an unrepentant thug who majority of us in the anc and south africa at large dont take serious,” the minister said.
The back and forth didn’t end there though…
“Dear Minister I am surprised that you insult me for posting a verbatim video recording of yourself. Or do you have an evil twin, or imposter, that make fake videos of you? Or are you bi-polar? Please tell us. If any of that is the case I will be sympathetic and post a correction,” Niehaus responded.
Carl Niehaus and Fikile Mbalula: A display of ANC tensions
During the Zuma years, Fikile Mbalula had aligned himself to his so-called RET faction in the ANC (Radical Economic Transformation). However much of that changed after President Cyril Ramaphosa emerged victorious at the ANC elective leadership contest in December 2017.
Mbalula, now a fierce supporter of Ramaphosa, has been labelled as an opportunist who’s more than happy to sing for his supper and only goes where his bread will be buttered. In this instance, it is a comfortable cabinet post under Ramaphosa, which comes with all the perks one can imagine.
Niehaus on the other hand, has always been a defender of Zuma, even going as far as Nkandla to “prevent” law enforcement officials from arresting the former president.