David Dube distances himself from comments Premier Mtsweni is DD Mabuza’s lover

by 013NEWS Reporter | Aug 13, 2018 | Politics

A case of defamation has now been opened against the bishop who said it.

Contestant for the Mpumalanga ANC position of chairman, David Dube, has nothing to do with comments that Premier Refilwe Mtsweni is the side-chick of deputy president DD Mabuza.

This follows comments made by bishop Max Maumela during Dube’s campaign in the Secunda township of eMbalenhle on the weekend of 28 July 2018.

Maumela told scores of ANC supporters in the area that Mtsweni, a largely unknown politician, was made the Premier by Mabuza because the two are lovers and Mabuza was using her to continue his rule in the province.

“I’ve got nothing to do with those comments. No, no,” Dube said over the phone on Saturday evening (11 Aug).

“I was burying my wife today and please speak to [campaign spokesman] Sello Shai, myself I have nothing to do with it. Please,” Dube said.

Shai said as lobbyists of Dube they condemn the comments of the bishop “in the strongest possible terms”.

“We are not embracing such remarks and pledge to continue to respect fair play,” Shai said.

“We strive for unity in both the ANC and its alliance partners,” he said, adding that Dube does not hold such a view.

“The DDD18 leadership hereby distances itself and condemns in the strongest possible terms any insinuations attributed to the distasteful and unpalatable utterances allegedly made against fellow comrades of the ANC during the hosting of the Dr Nelson Mandela Memorial Lecture on 28 JULY 2018, which was delivered by former deputy chairperson of the ANC Mpumalanga provincial executive committee, comrade David Ditlaishego Dube.

“We further distance, without any equivocation, Comrade David Dube from such utterances which are not in tandem with his personal and political character,” Shai said.

He said that Dube is quite known and experienced “with impeccable characteristics which are above reproach”.

David Dube.

“The message of support which was made is not the view of comrade David Dub nor of the DDD18 lobby team.

A case of defamation has now been opened against Maumela with the eMbalenhle police station, which police spokesman Brigadier Leonard Hlathi confirmed was indeed opened and investigations have commenced.

Maumela, who is with the Faith Harvest Bible Church, also told the crowds that Mabuza was a murderer who set aside all of his political opponents in the province to rise to power.

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Dube, who was opposed to Mabuza becoming the leader of the ANC Mpumalanga for a third-term, was defeated during the 2015 provincial congress when Mabuza got elected unopposed.

Now Dube, who was provincial deputy chair during Mabuza’s second-term in office, wants to fill the vacant position that he left when he got elected the deputy president during the ANC’s 54th national congress on 18 December 2018.

Shai said as the DDD lobbyists they respect women and cannot allow anybody to belittle them in the manner the bishop did.

He said when they hold rallies they allow leaders from other groupings to come speak but their views should not be attributed to the DDD lobby team.

“The DDD18 Lobby Team would not allow this unfortunate situation to undermine a successful event.

“The lecture was characterised by clarifying engagements and shall without doubt obviously lead to a just South Africa, Africa and the better world that President Mandela yearned to realise during his lifetime.

“This well attended event was underlined by the cutting of a colourful birthday cake, the distribution of blankets and food parcels to senior citizens as part of Nelson Mandela century celebrations,” Shai said.

“During the lecture comrade David Dube indicated that President Mandela was not just a long serving political prisoner in South Africa and later President of the African National Congress and South Africa respectively but represented what an ANC member is supposed to be.

“His humility and a selfless dedication to the struggle for a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society, concern for the will and interests of the people, as captured in the principles of Batho Pele,” he said.

(edited by ZK)

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