Described as the “Sfiso Nkabinde” of the eHlanzeni region of Mpumalanga, the man says all accusations against him are sheer nonsense and cannot dignify them with a comment in the newspapers.
Mbombela municipality speaker Mandla Msibi has hit back at all his detractors who have “spread malicious propaganda” against him on the social networks, saying as speaker and ANC’s head of election he doesn’t have time for such “nonsense”.
Msibi is said to be the man behind the recent violent protest in KaNyamazane after his alleged interest in the tender to fix houses there could not go his way.
A message circulating on the social media since a week ago asking deputy president DD Mabuza to “remove” Msibi as head of elections in Mpumalanga “otherwise we will not vote,” said Msibi came with two tenderpreneurs who were appointed to come fix damaged homes in the area but “was not happy with the rate and influenced his contractors not to sign it”.
It said Msibi expected government would pay R85 000 per home but government rejected and instead opted for R45 000.
Residents in the KaNyamazane township of Mbombela in Mpumalanga are protesting the “slow progress” by government to fix their homes that were damaged by hailstorms in May 2018.
They say since then they have been waiting for government to fix the homes.
“Look I don’t have time for that nonsense,” Msibi said over the phone when the 013NEWS reporter asked him whether it was true he was the man behind the KaNyamazane protest.
SEE ALSO: Msibi says Pat Ngomane doesn’t have right to victimise him
“I heard about it,” Msibi said on Sunday mid-day.
“People spreading malicious propaganda about me thinking I’ll be hurt and react. I don’t have time for that, I can only respond to questions about the ANC’s readiness for elections next year,” Msibi said.
“Why those cowards write on the social media that I carry an AK47, I intimidate people, I cause protests? Who are these faceless people and why don’t the journalists do investigative journalism and expose them? And why don’t they open a case with the police?” Msibi asked.
“And do they know how an AK47 looks like?” he asked.
He said as a leader he welcomes anybody to say anything about him as “dogs do not bark at an idle car”.
“That tender is with the human settlement department and I’m a speaker of a municipality, I don’t know why people say I’m busy influencing tenders. Look my brother I don’t have time for that, they must open a case against me and stop spreading malicious information. Thanks,” he said.
Last week Premier Refilwe Mtsweni had to be whisked away from the area when she tried to address the angry community. The residents said they didn’t want her but national leader Cyril Ramaphosa or his assistant DD Mabuza who had hand-picked her to be the Premier.
Mtsweni is expected to return to the community and address them, promising their homes will be fixed.
READ: KaNyamazane protesters loot Shoprite Liquor
(edited by MLM)
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