Sizwe sama Yende
Mpumalanga ANC treasurer, Mandla Msibi, has decided against appealing the Provincial Disciplinary Committee’s sanction of suspension for three years from organisational activities.
Provincial ANC secretary, Muzi Chirwa, said on Wednesday that two years of the sanction had been suspended, which means that Msibi will only be suspended for one year if he does not repeat the same offence he was found guilty of.
Msibi’s co-accused Mandla Mhlanga was found not guilty while Sibusiso Bhuda Mdluli was expelled from the ANC.
The charges emanate from a gathering of community members that Msibi addressed about the construction of the Nkosi City in Pienaar where Msibi hails from.
RELATED: A 30-second video-recording may save Msibi on misconduct charges
The ANC somehow believed that he spoke ill of President Cyril Ramaphosa and intended to disrupt the party’s January 8 birthday celebration in Mbombela.
Chirwa did not speak outside the confines of his media statement to explain the charges in detail. The People’s Eye has seen a videorecording in which Msibi tells the community that President Ramaphosa had supported the project and deployed then Infrastructure SA head, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa (now Electricity Minister), to visit the area.
It was speculated that Msibi would resign from the ANC, but he is not. “I will not appeal the decision of the disciplinary committee,” Msibi said.
Chirwa said that Msibi’s future as Mpumalanga Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC was still going to be decided.
“As you all aware that when the provincial working committee (PWC) imposed the suspension earlier and it did affect the participation of comrade Mandla Msibi in government. We will also look into that – his participation as deployee in government,” he said.
“The PWC did not effect the regulation of participation. Officials will look into that and the secretary will also advise on how to regulate his participation.”
Msibi’s name sits on number 17 on the province to province list, which means he would still be guaranteed a legislature position after the May 29 elections if he did not return into cabinet.
Msibi has been fighting for survival since he rose to the ANC top five. He once faced about 30 charges of assault, attempted murder and vandalism which were all dismissed due to lack of evidence.
He then faced a murder and two attempted murder charges after a shooting outside Coyotes Shisa Nyama in Mbombela. The incident happened following conflicts about the list conference towards the local government elections.
Msibi was acquitted of on these charges. He was elected the party’s treasurer in absentia as he had stepped aside from ANC activities because of the charges.
Msibi started as a ward councillor in the City of Mbombela and moved up the ladder to become a council speaker.
Former Mpumalanga premier and deputy president David Mabuza co-opted him into the PEC when he flexed his political muscle and made Pienaar inaccessible to any politician who did not get along with him.