ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has labelled the party's former national executive member and parliamentarian, Tony Yengeni, as a "political Casanova" and announced that he will be charged with ill-discipline. Briefing the media earlier today ahead of the party's 113th anniversary, Mbalula said any member who brings the party into disrepute will be dealt with.
NO NONSENSE TAKING
This follows a series of statements and social media posts made by Yengeni where he dragged the party for their choice of venue for their January 8 statement. Visiting the Mandela Park sports facility in Khayelitsha outside Cape Town in the Western Cape today, Mbalula defended the venue and said the area was a party stronghold in the province and where it lost support in last year's elections. "Yengeni is nothing but a political Casanova and is spewing vagrant political views and views that are embraced by a few malcontents who are opposed to the ANC. Discipline in the ANC is important. I have seen other people on X, leaders of the ANC, tweeting things that bring the party into disrepute. They too will be disciplined," Mbalula said. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri echoed the same words and said that every member of the party has a responsibility to defend and speak in good faith about the party. "We are here to foster unity in the party, so the likes of comrade Yengeni have brought the party into disrepute publicly knowing that there will be consequences. We are mandated to unite society, so bringing division will not be accepted. We are rebuilding the organisation and internalising the 2024 electoral results and seeking to renew our relationship with society," she said.
FALSE PRETENCE
Bhengu-Motsiri said former deputy chair of the international relations subcommittee Obed Bapela was removed as a member of the subcommittee after he travelled to Morocco and spoke on behalf of the party without an instruction last year. "The matter of Bapela is well documented; he met dignitaries under the guise that he was sent by the ANC in Morocco. The matter is already out there and is still being dealt with internally," said ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri.
