ANC Youth League has struck a devastating blow against its nemesis, the secretary-general Mntuwoxolo Ngudle.
Luthuli House boss Fikile Mbalula read the Youth League NEC the riot act on Friday following a chaotic period between Thursday night to Friday morning when Malatji and Ngudle suspended each other.
Mbalula intervened and revoked both suspensions but only forced Ngudle to do a public apology because the latter’s suspension of Malatji had made it to the news in its rawest form.
Not only that, Mbalula told the young ones to put their spears down and commanded Ngudle to also apologise to the entire Youth League membership for his attempted suspension of Malatji.
Ngudle complied and profusely apologised to Malatji and the broader ANC kindergarten, setting himself back in their ongoing war over control of the Youth League.
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Malatji also scored a second victory from the meeting with Mbalula which affirmed the Youth League special congress billed for next month in Polokwane, Limpopo.
“We call on all members and leaders of the ANCYL to give maximum attention to ensuring the successful convening of the 27th National Congress, from 14 to 17 December 2025, at the University of Limpopo,” reads an ANC statement by national spokesperson Hlengiwe Bhengu following the Mbalula-Malatji meeting.
“We are assured that the ANCYL will continue to mobilise the energy, creativity and activism of young people in the service of social transformation. The organisation [ANC] reaffirms its commitment to supporting the ANCYL.
“It is agreed that the Secretary General of the ANCYL will issue a public apology as part of restoring unity and organisational discipline.”
The tongue-lashing by Mbalula, at the meeting in which the warring Malatji and Ngudle were seated facing each other, seems to have worked wonders.
The resolution of the meeting bore immediate fruit with Ngudle retreating with the public apology, a concession that has emboldened Malatji and almost guaranteed him victory at the upcoming special congress.
At that congress, Ngudle and finance man Zwelo Masilela will not qualify to run for a new mandate as they have surpassed the age limit of 35.
Malatji, meanwhile, is still within the age limit and is bound to emerge uncontested for a second term, setting himself up to be in demand for senior leadership positions for the parent organisation, ANC, in the 2027 national elective congress.
As for Ngudle and Masilela, this is about the end of the road for them in the Youth League. It is back to the trenches to fight their way up from the bottom in the ANC.
