A tense and heated meeting of the ANC's national working committee (NWC) lasted almost 10 hours last week, with party secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and national executive committee (NEC) member Mondli Gungubele coming under fire for their recent public comments. The meeting was initially meant to discuss the candidates' list registration chaos that left the party fielding no candidates in some municipalities in the Eastern Cape.
Mbalula was criticized for referring to himself as "the boss" of the ANC, with some NWC members demanding that he take responsibility for the list debacle and even fall on his sword. The party is now appealing the issue before the Constitutional Court. Gungubele, on the other hand, was censured for his "attacks" on Mbalula on social media, particularly after a video went viral showing Mbalula bragging about being "the boss" of the ANC.
Gungubele had taken to social media to slam Mbalula for making light of the fact that some party structures would not have any candidates fielded in their municipalities due to failures by the party's secretariat. An NWC member described the meeting as a "fight" that was not just about Mbalula, but also about the party's strategy to save the upcoming elections. The meeting did not discuss ways to salvage the elections.
The conflict also centered on the terms of reference and scope of a forensic investigation into the party's candidate list registration chaos. Some NWC members wanted the investigation to be limited to the Eastern Cape, while others argued it should start with Mbalula's actions or be conducted by an independent forensics company. The party's electoral committee head, Kgalema Motlanthe, was mentioned as a possible supervisor of the investigation.
Gungubele, along with Zizi Kodwa and Khusela Diko, led the charge against Mbalula, calling for him to take responsibility for the list debacle and arguing that the forensic probe should look into his actions. They also attacked Mbalula over his public remarks that he is "the boss" of the ANC. However, not all NWC members agreed with the attack, with some defending Mbalula.
Those who came to Mbalula's defence included President Cyril Ramaphosa, head of organising Mduduzi Manana, and party policy head Fébé Potgieter-Gqubule. ANC Women's League secretary-general Nokuthula Nqaba also defended Mbalula. Meanwhile, Mmamoloko Kubayi and second deputy secretary-general Maropene Ramokgopa criticized senior party leaders for focusing on calling for Mbalula's head instead of discussing ways to save the ANC in the upcoming elections.
The leaders also disagreed over the refusal to call a meeting of the NEC, which last sat in May. It is unlikely that an NEC meeting will be called before the November elections, given the intense fight that took place at the NWC meeting. The ANC is set to face challenges in the upcoming elections due to the candidate list registration chaos.
Key points
- - Mbalula and Gungubele faced criticism at an ANC meeting over public comments and the party's candidate list registration chaos. - The meeting was marked by disagreements over the terms of reference and scope of a forensic investigation into the party's candidate list registration chaos. - Some ANC leaders defended Mbalula, while others called for him to take responsibility for the list debacle.
