ANC Gauteng chairperson Panyaza Lesufi and ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula seem to have smoked the peace pipe. This is after Mbalula defended Lesufi from an unruly crowd outside Luthuli House during the 100 days of GNU celebrations today.

ORDER COMRADES

Mbalula lashed at ANC supporters carrying placards insulting Lesufi. "Comrades, you need to remember that this is the chairman of the ANC, he is our chairman. I see some of you are carrying placards and trying to disrupt the celebrations; that will not be accepted," said Mbalula. Lesufi stood to greet the crowd, acknowledging Mbalula's words. The past week has given the impression that Lesufi and Mbalula were at loggerheads over the formation of the GNU. Mbalula even ordered Lesufi to present himself to the party leadership at Luthuli House last week Monday following an interview that led Mbalula to believe that Lesufi was a critic of the GNU. On Sunday, Mbalula said if Lesufi thinks he will run a campaign against him as the Secretary-General of the ANC, he must mind his steps because they will act. 

"We will never tolerate rogueness in the ANC. If he has decided to run a campaign against me, defacing the secretary-general of the ANC and doing so perpetually despite the fact that we are engaging politically and have settled matters, we will have to see how to get around that," Mbalula said during an interview with eNCA over the weekend.

SOUTH AFRICANS WARMING UP TO GNU

Addressing the crowd, President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africans were warming up to the new government. "The surveys that are being published show that the majority of South Africans are warming up to the GNU. The surveys show the people are once again showing love and appreciation to the ANC. We must go out to the people and say we want love back. The GNU has job creation at the top of its agenda. Ramaphosa said Mbalula played a crucial role in negotiations with other political parties to form the GNU. "The GNU is not a construct of Fikile Mbalula or Cyril Ramaphosa but of the NEC. Don't undermine the SG; he negotiated very hard for us to be here today. This moment allows us to truly mobilise across the board and spectrums in the country. We thank all political parties who agreed to be part of the GNU," he said.