In what should be a moment of solidarity during the celebration of the party's 113th anniversary, the war of words between the ANC's national leadership and its Gauteng structure under Panyaza Lesufi is escalating.
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The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng had not made peace with its mother body party following the outcomes of the General elections in March, 2024 when the ANC formed a coalition with the Democratic Alliance.
In what should be a moment of solidarity and unity by the party amid its 113th birthday celebration set to take place this weekend in Khayelitsha, Western Cape, the ANC appears fractured with public statements indicating tensions between the Gauteng ANC and the national leadership structure.
Gauteng ANC led by Panyaza Lesufi, known for being bold and outspoken when coming to ANC dynamics, strongly opposed what some analysts have described as a marriage of convenience between the ANC and the DA — a series of X (formerly Twitter) posts have highlighted the tensions between the Party’s Secretary General Fikile Mbalula and some leaders of the Gauteng ANC.
Mbalula has publicly declared that his party would charge the ANC Gauteng leaders who were constantly tweeting about the organisation.
This has given rise to suspicions that Mbalula might dissolve the Gauteng provincial structure.
In December, South African Communist Party General Secretary Solly Mapaila praised the Gauteng Premier Lesufi for resisting attempts to force the provincial ANC to include the DA in the Government of Provincial Unity. Mapaila said Lesufi was suffering because he was a fully paid member of the SACP.
He instructed the organisation’s structures in Gauteng to defend him and his administration but refused to collaborate with the DA.
At the time, Mapaila warned SACP members that the road ahead was unlikely to be smooth.
“We have to prepare ourselves for an internal reaction from the movement; some of the forces have begun to threaten our comrades deployed in their own right as ANC leaders that if you take this decision, you know that you are gone,” Mapaila said.
Last month, Mbalula, while addressing the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) 6th National Congress, said Lesufi was bluffing about the balance of power in Gauteng.
“So there’s no balance of power. Lesufi is struggling in Gauteng while busy telling you fairytales that he controls it. He is not coping at all. That thing will fall apart with time,” he said.
Mbalula, a staunch supporter of the Government of National Unity (GNU), continued defending it, saying it was a government that brought people together in pursuit of matters of national interest.
Flexing his muscles, he warned the Gauteng provincial government would collapse.
Mbalula, who is reportedly vying for the party’s top leadership post in the 2027 elective conference, has issued a stern warning to ANC leaders who publicly discuss the succession of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
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