The ANC has distanced itself from sensational claims made by a former Umkhonto WeSizwe (MK) operative that he was instructed by the late Chris Hani to rob a bank in 1993.
Former bank robber Mkhuseli “Gidla” Nombewu, who is in the number four position on the ANC’s proportional representation list of candidates for Buffalo City Metro, made the startling announcement as he defended his nomination to become a councillor against growing criticism from some within the ruling party.
Late yesterday ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said the revered SACP general secretary Hani gave no such instruction. He dismissed Nombewu’s version as lies.
“The ANC’s position is that this guy is lying. Chris would never give such an instruction. He is not here to defend himself.”
Kodwa was backed up by a former head of ANC intelligence, who also lashed out at Nombewu and accused him of “dragging the name of Chris Hani through the mud”.
Questions have been raised within the party about Nombewu’s appearance on the list because he is a convicted bank robber.
Nombewu dismisses the criticism saying he was granted a presidential pardon in 2011, making him eligible to stand for public office.
Yesterday, Nombewu’s compatriot, Petros Vantyu, whose MK combat name was “Bushy Maimane”, lambasted the aspirant BCM councillor candidate for falsely claiming that Hani made him commit the criminal offence.
Vantyu, who was the head of ANC’s department of intelligence and security services in the Border region in the early 90s when Nombewu says he robbed a bank, confirmed that Nombewu was an MK cadre.
“I know Gidla, even at the time of his arrest. His arrest had nothing do with the politics of the ANC and MK. I told him in no uncertain terms at the time when he did this that this had nothing to do with the struggle or MK. This was a criminal activity of a personal nature.
“He used to come to the office when he was out on bail. He knows I told him.What is bad is the way he is dragging Chris’s name through the mud.
“He is name-dropping. He should have stuck with the presidential pardon part. I don’t have any feelings him having political office. Maybe he will join other thieves.
“He’ll probably be better than other thieves,” Vantyu said.
Vantyu also dismissed Nombewu’s claims that he robbed as
a fundraiser to buy arms for MK should the Mandela-De Klerk peace negotiations fail.
“Was he going to arm the masses with rands and cents?
“There was no need of that. There were many weapons that we were getting along the coast.
“We were all legal in the country. It’s an unfounded statement.”
He denied Hani ever made an order or inference for banks to be robbed. “We were working with Chris every day. There was no such thing. Gidla was never part of security. I never robbed a bank. These are politics of lies. It’s a bad way to start a public office. What does this guy think about the legacy of Chris? Chris’s family is still aggrieved by the pardoning of his killer and he comes and drops a bombshell about Chris ordering people to rob banks.
“It’s unacceptable. He stooped too low,” Vantyu said.
It is unclear what the ANC intends to do about the noise that has followed Nombewu’s nomination.
He served a seven-year jail sentence following his conviction in 1994.
On Friday Nombewu told the Dispatch that Hani had told him and his comrades: “There will be no military-trained and armed men who will come to and say they do not have funds to operate because there are funds … there are financial institutions with money lying .
“This thing was an instruction of Chris during suspension of MK armed activities. He said ‘The ANC has stopped our operations, let us arm as many people as possible so that when the negotiations fail we can be able to take up arms’.
“This is why we were pardoned,” Nombewu had said.
ANC national head of communications Khusela Sangoni said: “There’s a stringent verification process that is going to happen so you will not have anybody who is not eligible appearing in the final of candidates.”
She did not want to comment on “a single name” out of 9300 names submitted to the IEC.
Yesterday Nombewu refused to comment further and referred all questions to the ANC.
ANC denies Hani heist ‘lies’
Former bank robber Mkhuseli “Gidla” Nombewu, who is in the number four position on the ANC’s proportional representation list of candidates for Buffalo City Metro, made the startling announcement as he defended his nomination to become a councillor against growing criticism from some within the ruling party.
Late yesterday ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said the revered SACP general secretary Hani gave no such instruction. He dismissed Nombewu’s version as lies.
“The ANC’s position is that this guy is lying. Chris would never give such an instruction. He is not here to defend himself.”
Kodwa was backed up by a former head of ANC intelligence, who also lashed out at Nombewu and accused him of “dragging the name of Chris Hani through the mud”.
Questions have been raised within the party about Nombewu’s appearance on the list because he is a convicted bank robber.
Nombewu dismisses the criticism saying he was granted a presidential pardon in 2011, making him eligible to stand for public office.
Yesterday, Nombewu’s compatriot, Petros Vantyu, whose MK combat name was “Bushy Maimane”, lambasted the aspirant BCM councillor candidate for falsely claiming that Hani made him commit the criminal offence.
Vantyu, who was the head of ANC’s department of intelligence and security services in the Border region in the early 90s when Nombewu says he robbed a bank, confirmed that Nombewu was an MK cadre.
“I know Gidla, even at the time of his arrest. His arrest had nothing do with the politics of the ANC and MK. I told him in no uncertain terms at the time when he did this that this had nothing to do with the struggle or MK. This was a criminal activity of a personal nature.
“He used to come to the office when he was out on bail. He knows I told him.What is bad is the way he is dragging Chris’s name through the mud.
“He is name-dropping. He should have stuck with the presidential pardon part. I don’t have any feelings him having political office. Maybe he will join other thieves.
“He’ll probably be better than other thieves,” Vantyu said.
Vantyu also dismissed Nombewu’s claims that he robbed as
a fundraiser to buy arms for MK should the Mandela-De Klerk peace negotiations fail.
“Was he going to arm the masses with rands and cents?
“There was no need of that. There were many weapons that we were getting along the coast.
“We were all legal in the country. It’s an unfounded statement.”
He denied Hani ever made an order or inference for banks to be robbed. “We were working with Chris every day. There was no such thing. Gidla was never part of security. I never robbed a bank. These are politics of lies. It’s a bad way to start a public office. What does this guy think about the legacy of Chris? Chris’s family is still aggrieved by the pardoning of his killer and he comes and drops a bombshell about Chris ordering people to rob banks.
“It’s unacceptable. He stooped too low,” Vantyu said.
It is unclear what the ANC intends to do about the noise that has followed Nombewu’s nomination.
He served a seven-year jail sentence following his conviction in 1994.
On Friday Nombewu told the Dispatch that Hani had told him and his comrades: “There will be no military-trained and armed men who will come to and say they do not have funds to operate because there are funds … there are financial institutions with money lying .
“This thing was an instruction of Chris during suspension of MK armed activities. He said ‘The ANC has stopped our operations, let us arm as many people as possible so that when the negotiations fail we can be able to take up arms’.
“This is why we were pardoned,” Nombewu had said.
ANC national head of communications Khusela Sangoni said: “There’s a stringent verification process that is going to happen so you will not have anybody who is not eligible appearing in the final of candidates.”
She did not want to comment on “a single name” out of 9300 names submitted to the IEC.
Yesterday Nombewu refused to comment further and referred all questions to the ANC.
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