South Africa- Johannesburg- ANC SG feedback - 05 July 2023. ANC secretary General Fikile Mbalula gives feedback on a NEC meeting that took place on Monday. He also congratulated the ANC youth league on their 26th congress during the press brief held at Luthuli house on Wednesday morning. Picture: Timothy Bernard / African News Agency (ANA)
Johannesburg - ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has threatened national executive committee (NEC) member Andile Lungisa over a tweet about Acting Public Protector advocate Kholeka Gcaleka’s Phala Phala report.
Mbalula said the National Working Committee (NWC) further reiterated its support of the Office of the Public Protector and welcomed the report by the acting public protector on allegations of criminal events that took place at the Phala Phala farm, involving the theft of money.
“The ANC reiterates that only opportunists seek to abuse the provisions of the Executive Ethics Code to suggest the president violated the provisions therein. The ANC welcomes the public protector’s report, which found nothing untoward in the conduct of the president, including the fact that there was no evidence of paid work outside his duties as president,” said Mbalula.
Lungisa on Monday posted a tweet saying: “I just finished reading Acting PP’s report on Phala Phala even my 8 year old son Cuba won’t approve of it.”
Following Mbalula’s comments yesterday, Lungisa tweeted: “History is always on our side.”
Journalists, during a media briefing on the outcomes of the ANC NWC meeting that was held on Monday, asked Mbalula if he was aware of Lungisa’s view on the Phala Phala report. He said he was not aware.
“I was not aware of Andile; the first thing I will do as the secretary-general of the ANC is to ask him. I need that tweet from Andile because the era of rogueness is over. Andile is a member of the NEC; he cannot say what he likes and distance himself from statements of his party and organisation. He can’t do that,” said Mbalula.
He said Lungisa must explain himself.
“It is either a good explanation or he will say it (the tweet) is fake. If it is true, I am going to charge him. I will take him to the disciplinary hearing because he can argue that case in the NEC. When the organisation has spoken on the matter, the point of review is the NEC,” said Mbalula.
Political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said he did not think Mbalula would succeed in getting a conviction should he charge Lungisa.
“Mbalula is power drunk. He is clueless about the tenets of our democracy. Members of the ANC are allowed to have and voice their opinions, as long as they respect the collective decisions of the ANC. This is even more troubling given the fact that there is a report by reputable and much more senior jurists to the acting public protector who came to a different conclusion,” said Seepe.
He further said: “What if the review on the report is successful? Will Mbalula apologise to Lungisa for being proven right? Leadership is not about blurbing at the slightest opportunity. Sometimes, it helps to seek advice before making a fool of oneself. For now, the ANC should find a way of reigning in a demonstrably unhinged secretary-general.”
Lungisa was asked for comment, but he had not responded by the time of publication.
The Star