The African National Congress (ANC) says party’s secretary general Fikile Mbalula had a busy schedule around Cape Town which warranted his transportation to a recent party event on Robben Island in a luxurious yacht.
According to a
Sunday Times report, Mbalula's yacht arrival stunned fellow ANC leaders and
observers alike during an event that was meant to reflect on the painful
history of the party's members who had been incarcerated during the apartheid
era.
Other ANC
leaders used the Robben Island Museum ferry, Sikhululekile while President
Cyril Ramaphosa was flown to the island by helicopter for security reasons. The
solemn commemoration was aimed at honouring political prisoners who spent years
on the infamous island.
On Sunday
evening, member of the ANC’s national executive committee Donald Selamolela
told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that Mbalula is not involved in the logistics
of his mode of transport.
“Do not put it
on Mr Mbalula as a person. Mr Mbalula does not arrange his own movement when he
is running the programme of the African National Congress. Put it on us as the
ANC. Why did we make that separate arrangement for Mr Mbalula. The reason is,
Mr Mbalula on the same day he was expected to address other various
programmes,” said Selamolela.
“You didn’t
want him to be on a ferry that would take time. It is true that it is expensive
to use that type of a ferry that he use, but I must clarify that the respect
that we have for our people, the commitment in terms of ensuring that our
programme of reconnecting with our people …What you saw (on Saturday) is a
culmination of various activities that we have been running here.”
Selamolela said
he is not sure how much the ANC paid to procure the yacht for Mbalula’s use.
However, the ANC NEC member insisted that Mbalula had nothing to do with yacht.
IOL
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