ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula was allegedly humiliated at an officials meeting when he failed to advance his agenda against Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi and KwaZulu-Natal officials Bheki Mtolo and Siboniso Duma on Monday.
Two ANC leaders who spoke to TimesLIVE Premium accused Mbalula of using the meeting to fight factional battles to advance his ambitions for the 2027 elective conference.
It is understood Mbalula had written to the KwaZulu-Natal officials to summon the two leaders to a national official meeting on the day without getting clearance from the top seven.
On Monday it was reported Mbalula had also sent a letter to Lesufi, summoning him to appear before the officials meeting led by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
His gripe with Lesufi was that he has spoken negatively about the government of national unity (GNU).
Mtolo and Duma were apparently summoned to Luthuli House for having instituted disciplinary action against KwaDukuza mayor Lindile Nhaca in the General Gizenga Mpanza region.
In a letter first reported by TimesLIVE on Monday afternoon, Mbalula told Lesufi he had taken an anti-GNU stance.
This takes place as the ANC is expected to field a replacement mayor for the DA’s Cilliers Brink in Tshwane on Wednesday.
According to the letter, Lesufi could have been charged for bringing the ANC into disrepute over his anti-GNU stance because he contradicted decisions taken by the national executive committee (NEC) to establish the GNU.
Mbalula told Lesufi he had “observed with concern” his public remarks on the GNU which “clearly go against” NEC resolutions.
A high-ranking ANC leader who was privy to the meeting said that it was deputy president Paul Mashatile who first questioned Mbalula on why he had decided to use the officials meeting as the platform for the discussions.
“Mbalula explained to the officials that he wanted this ventilated with them. He then called in Lesufi,” the insider said.
They said Mbalula then raised issue with Lesufi’s public comments, claiming the Gauteng leader was working against the party.
“It was a conversation between the two of them. The national officials said nothing and President Ramaphosa was glued to his tablet. He didn’t speak once.”
The insider said Lesufi defended himself to the Gauteng leadership and argued that an X account named Goolam was being used to tarnish the names of ANC Gauteng leaders and the party was playing into its hands.
They said Lesufi told the national officials the province had made several attempts to negotiate with the DA for a government of provincial unity but its GNU partners had made unreasonable demands.
“Lesufi questioned why he could not defend himself against attacks by the DA and [DA federal chair] Helen Zille when the attacks are made in public, and he argued that the Gauteng leadership has been under attack from the media and could not be expected to take that lying down.
“He said the Gauteng leadership has been under attack from the media and no-one at Luthuli House had come out to defend them, as if they had made the decisions at local and provincial government unilaterally.
“It was not a matter that should have been discussed at this platform. Mbalula looked stupid. Someone said he is worse than Ace Magashule. This was an own goal by Mbalula. He used the officials and they understood it as that. None of the officials spoke in the meetings with KwaZulu-Natal officials and Lesufi. Mbalula is hot-headed. He doesn’t think.”
Another insider said Mbalula left the meeting defeated, and conceded to Lesufi that the ANC needed to defend its leaders against media and opposition attacks.
“The matter between the DA and the ANC was properly explained by the deputy secretary general [Nomvula Mokonyane] and that should have been the end of it. Zille goes to town saying all manner of things against the ANC. We can’t be jumping up and down to defend her when we ourselves have a constituency which we cannot undermine,” they said.
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The Mail & Guardian previously reported Mokonyane had slammed Zille over her threat to “risk the stability of the government of national unity” to have Brink reinstated.
Brink was ousted in a motion of no confidence, which was tabled by the ANC with the assistance of ActionSA. Luthuli House and the ANC in Gauteng have been at loggerheads over who the party should go to bed with in the metro.
While the Gauteng leaders favour ActionSA, TimesLIVE Premium understands Mbalula and others at national level want a coalition with the DA.
Mbalula had already been defeated when it was time to call Mtolo and Duma to the officials’ meeting, the insider said.
They said the two leaders explained the mayor had been working with the opposition against the ANC in an attempt to oust his deputy.
Duma and Mtolo are said to have explained they were within their rights to recall a municipal mayor who was acting against ANC provincial leadership instructions.
“It was about gossip and factions. Mtolo and Duma were clear in their arguments and the officials did not understand why they had to discuss a municipality. It’s not even a metro. Mbalula left the meeting with his tail between his legs. Not once did the president and the other officials defend him.
Mtolo previously told journalists that the ANC in the province had resolved to reconfigure its government leadership in the KwaDukuza and iLembe district municipality.
He said the process for the finalisation of the reconfiguration would be processed with the office of the secretary-general and once finalised the province would work with the regional executive committee of General Gizenga Mpanza for final modalities.
TimesLIVE
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