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EFF GOES PUBLIC ON EX-SG’S DISMISSAL

15/09/2022 09:16:00 Khulile Thwala

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MBABANE – A lack of response to a dismissal letter and alleged misconduct have compelled EFF Swaziland to make public the termination of membership of former Secretary General Ncamiso Ngcamphalala.

However, Ngcamphalala has denied knowledge of a dismissal letter prior to the publishing of the statement on his membership termination. Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Swaziland Executive released a statement on the formal dismissal and termination of membership of Ngcamphalala in the wee hours of yesterday. According to EFF Swaziland President Nombulelo Motsa, the dismissal of Ngcamphalala was long overdue as she disclosed that the organisation had been encountering problems with the now former SG since February 10, 2022. In the statement, his dismissal is attributed to misconduct and tarnishing the image of the organisation in public, both locally and internationally.

Misinformation

“This all started when Ngcamphalala took a singular decision to dissolve the executive of the political party on February 10 and further spread misinformation about the party,” alleged Motsa. She said they decided to send him a formal dismissal letter in the past couple of days, however, he had not responded to it, hence the decision to publish the statement of termination of his membership. “After suspending him in February, we called him in for a disciplinary hearing. However, he said he did not recognise that hearing. He then later contacted us, wanting to attend the DC but he had already started bringing the organisation to disrepute,” alleged the political party’s president. She further said his inability to respond to the dismissal letter prompted them to publish a statement announcing his formal dismissal from the organisation.

In the statement, published on their official media pages, they accuse Ngcamphalala of being a sell-out, stating that his utterances on being the founder of the organisation were fallacy and that the party was formed by a collective concerned emaSwati. “In short, it was a collective input, not this fallacy by Ngcamphalala,” read in part the statement. Other allegations, which cannot be repeated due to their defamatory nature, were also included in the statement. When reached for comment, the former EFF Swaziland secretary general said he had seen the statement, however, he learnt from an online media publication that his membership had been formally terminated. He further claimed that he had not been formally engaged on his dismissal. “I received this news in the middle of the night on Tuesday that I had been formally dismissed and this was also through a questionnaire sent to me by a reporter from an online publication. I ignored the questionnaire because I did not understand the question,” said the former SG.

He said he found out on social media that this had been made official after receiving the questionnaire as this coincided with the time the political party published the dismissal statement. However, Ngcamphalala admitted that this was a decision EFF Swaziland took a while ago because of some of the members’ behaviour towards him. “I knew they wanted nothing to do with me and they had been hinting this for a while now. The reason they want me out is because I attempted to expel the party president’s husband, Thulani Motsa, who is also the Treasurer of the organisation,” said Ngcamphalala. He further alleged that his reason for attempting to dissolve the executive stemmed from the ambiguity on who was the president of the organisation. The former SG made claims that the president and treasurer received the funds meant for the party, stating that this was when his issue with the executive started.

Election

“I then tried to dissolve the executive in order for the election process to start afresh as the organisation’s constitution demands that if there is an issue, this was the way to fix things,” he said. Ngcamphalala said he was already operating as someone who did not belong to a particular organisation as he could tell that he was no longer welcome to EFF Swaziland, although he had not received a formal correspondence on same. “All views that I expressed in public platforms or on social media previously were my own, in my personal capacity and not attributed to any organisation. I had only been expressing my opinion as a political activist, not a member of EFF Swaziland,” he said. He said he did not appreciate that his dismissal was tainted with allegations that he had sold information to certain people because this was completely false. “I only interact with police officers when I am attending to an ongoing case in which I am implicated in. This is because I have a sedition case pending after being charged for speaking ill against authorities when EFF Swaziland was established,” he said.

The former SG claimed that EFF Swaziland was founded by him and other former members of Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA), which he was previously a member of. Ngcamphalala said what prevailed now at EFF Swaziland was not a political party but instead a gentlemen’s club. “When you express differing views, they oppose you and this is how the division came about in the party,” he said. He further emphasised that allegations to the effect that he was an informant for the police were a lie. I am not spying on anyone and those who are talking to me from the Mass Democratic Movement (MDM) are doing so on their own accord,” he said.

Ngcamphalala said he was familiar with quite a number of people and that was the reason he communicated with most of them, but he did not at any point compel people to discuss or question their political affiliations. In previously published news in this newspaper, EFF Swaziland President, Motsa, denied allegations that her husband was taking over the party and running it as his own. This was after news of the former SG dissolving the executive of the political party made rounds. Meanwhile, Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) recently expelled SWALIMO Lubombo District Chairperson Mzwakhe Myeni.