Johannesburg – uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans' Association (MKMVA) national executive committee member and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma campaigner Carl Niehaus says he agrees with ANC Women's League president Bathabile Dlamini who lambasted those who have failed his transgressions and the alleged corruption of officials implicated in the #GuptaLeaks.
Dlamini told News24 that South Africans were willing to forgive those responsible for apartheid but couldn't forgive the self-confessed fraudster and serial liar for some of the mistakes he has made in the past.
READ: SA, forgive state capture like you 'forgave apartheid' - Dlamini
"I think she is fair. We've seen in the last couple of weeks a concentration of calling people in the black community corrupt but when you look at Steinhoff they speak of accounting problems and accounting mistakes," said Niehaus.
He said where mistakes had been made they had to be corrected, but that the discourse has to move forward.
Speaking to News24 at the ANC's 54th national elective conference, Niehaus said he still believed Dlamini-Zuma would emerge the victor when the votes are tallied.
This is in spite of nominations putting Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of Dlamini-Zuma in the race to replace President Jacob Zuma as leader of the 105-year-old political party.
Delegates will decide
"Every branch has one nomination but many branches have many delegates, especially in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga and areas in which they have strong support for her, there are huge branches with lots of delegates," said Niehaus.
He advised against coming to conclusions about who the favourite candidates were based on nominations.
Niehaus said ultimately it was the delegates who would decide who the next leader of the ANC will be.
He said although Dlamini-Zuma was his preferred candidate he wouldn't leave the ANC if Ramaphosa won.
"I've been a member since I was 19, I will continue to be a member and whatever the outcomes I will give my support to the leader of the ANC as I have always done," said Niehaus.
