Premier Soccer League General Manager Andile 'Ace' Ncobo has entered the Fikile Mbalula-Tony Yengeni debacle in a sarcastic way. This comes after Mbalula, ANC secretary-general Mbalula said he will be taking action against the party veteran Tony Yengeni for making negative social media posts about the party's leadership.

HE WAS PART OF THE ENTOURAGE

In September 2008, Mbalula, who was 37, was taken to the initiation school by "force" by ANC politicians Yengeni, Nyami Booi, and Mcebisi Skwatsha. The former FIFA and SAFA referee was part of the entourage that took Mbalula to the initiation school. On Monday, Ncobo wrote a sarcastic post on his Facebook page: "What we did here wasn't political. It was an African tradition expected of older brothers. Suppose Fikile has to carry out a political duty against any of us who were involved in his traditional transition into manhood. In that case, he must be allowed to do so without intimidation. It's as an official, rather than a personal duty." The statement, which some on social media perceived as a jab against Mbalula, came after the secretary-general announced that Yengeni would be charged with bringing the ANC into disrepute. Ncobo implied that since they took Fikile Mbalula to the initiation school back then, they shouldn't take things personally as ANC members when he charges them if they bring the party into disrepute as Tony Yengeni did.

POLITICAL PLAYER

Mbalula said he was going to charge Jacob Zuma's loyalist Yengeni and another ANC NEC member and deputy police minister, Obed Bapela, over a visit to Morocco last year in violation of ANC policy and even called Yengeni a "political Casanova." With the ANC celebrating its 113th birthday at the Khayelitsha Stadium on Saturday, which caters to 22,000 people, Yengeni took a jab at the choice of the venue. On Monday morning, Yengeni wrote in his X (Twitter) account about the Cape Town venue: "What is the capacity of this field.? Former Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa responded on the post: "Are you out mobilising leader?" After Mbalula had made it public that they were charging Yengeni, Shilowa took another jab on his X account. He wrote yesterday: "So Umkhuluwa is likely to face the old law of the Transvaal."

MPUMALANGA WON'T BE ATTENDING THE CELEBRATIONS

Meanwhile, the Mpumalanga ANC will not be attending the organisation's 113th-year celebrations in Khayelitsha, citing the small capacity of the stadium. The province, which was once led by former Premier and later the country's deputy president David Mabuza, will hold its celebrations on January 25 in the Nkangala Region instead. The provincial secretary, Muzi Chirwa sent a communique to all the Mpumalanga regional secretaries to inform them of the decision taken by the ANC.