ANC Gauteng chair Panyaza Lesufi is off the hook after the party’s national officials, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, on Monday accepted his explanation for his perceived negative comments about the government of national unity (GNU).
This is according to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, who on Tuesday confirmed a report that Lesufi had been summoned to Luthuli House to explain his remarks.
In a leaked letter dated October 6, Mbalula told Lesufi he had “observed with concern” Lesufi’s public remarks on the GNU which “clearly go against” ANC national executive committee (NEC) resolutions to establish and lead the GNU.
Mbalula on Tuesday said Lesufi appeared before the national officials, dubbed the top seven, who accepted his explanation.
“Comrade Panyaza presented himself to the officials of the ANC and provided an explanation that was accepted by officials,” said Mbalula. “This is consistent with organisational culture of the ANC, which requires of us to give comrades a hearing when there’s reasonable apprehension that their conduct may place the ANC in disrepute.”
According to Mbalula, Lesufi told them that he had been misrepresented in the media and elsewhere on how he spoke publicly about the GNU.
“We don’t rein in Panyaza, we engage politically ... There’s a lot of things that have been said and we have confronted him about that. He explained [and] said he was being misrepresented.”
Mbalula said there was nothing wrong with the decision to bring Lesufi in as there were legitimate concerns that he was contradicting decisions taken by the NEC regarding the formation of the GNU.
Lesufi as a chair of a province had to explain to branches decisions that were taken, and not contradict that, he said.
Mbalula said Lesufi spoke “beautifully” about the GNU in his interviews.
“We are happy with the explanation of Panyaza, very happy that he’s generally being misrepresented, misquoted and misunderstood,” Mbalula said.
“I’ve seen Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh releasing a podcast video where Panyaza explains excellently the GNU ... and that is what is expected of a leader of the ANC in the province.”
Mbalula said they had been vocal previously about defending Lesufi, whom they believe is doing a “great job in government”.
Mbalula said that though he was not friends with Lesufi, they had a good relationship as ANC comrades. “Whenever I engage with him as the secretary-general of the ANC, he respects the office and I respect him. So we’ve got a good, cordial, organisational, comradely relationship, that’s it.”
That Lesufi was called in to explain his public utterances should not be viewed in a negative light, said Mbalula.
“If there are perceptions through his own utterances that lead to perceptions that there’s conflict between the province and national, we have a responsibility politically to engage him.
“And if some of the utterances are way off line in terms of the line as adopted by the NEC, we need to engage with that.”
The summoning of Lesufi was not akin to a disciplinary process but a political engagement, he added.
“When a member of the ANC is subjected to a disciplinary process, he is not called to the officials meeting,” said Mbalula.
“Officials of the ANC are not a disciplinary committee. If you are called to the officials, you will argue prejudice when you get to the national disciplinary committee. The officials are a political structure in the organisation, they engage on political matters.”
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