ANC national executive committee members’ thorny debate over the inclusion of the DA in the government of national unity (GNU) degenerated into an ugly affair when firebrand ANC leader Andile Lungisa, labelled his fellow comrades “careerists” and urged them to “stop hallucinating.
Lungisa hurled the abusive epithets against comrades cosying up to the DA on the governing party’s “Official NEC 2022–2027” WhatsApp group last week.
According to screenshots of the WhatsApp group, which we have seen, the tense altercation erupted when Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu posted a news article that alleged that President Cyril Ramaphosa had backtracked on an offer to the DA and the blue party had, as a result, threatened to pull out of the GNU.
“We agreed we would engage everyone. I’m happy they are behaving this way. True colours, nothing new…” Zulu posted. Lungisa leapt into the fray: “We said no to the DA.”
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga heightened the tensions when she decided to fact-check Lungisa, saying the NEC approved the GNU as “inclusive of everyone, including the DA and everybody else willing to work with the ANC”.
But Lungisa was having none of it. “We said no to the DA; some of us know the history of our movement, including the character of the movement. Please, in your hallucinations, don’t ever include some of us in anything that has to do with the DA,” he thundered. “We never joined the liberation struggle or movement late in our lives. Comrades must be sensitive to the history of our struggle, please. Celebrate the DA without including our names on it.”
Unimpressed, Human Settlements Minister Mamoloko Kubayi, who thought Lungisa was personally attacking Motshekga, tried to provide some supervision. “I do think there is a need for mutual respect and decorum. It’s not correct to say Mme Angie is hallucinating,” she chided.
But Lungisa’s resolve was unshakeable. “Please, people must never and ever include some of us in anything that has to do with the DA. We will never be ideologically and culturally captured,” he declared.
Kubayi tried again to rein Lungisa in. “This is wrong; honestly, you can’t disrespect anyone like this, especially a fellow NEC member. You can have your dissenting views, which we have always respected, but also show the same respect to others. You have no monopoly on being correct and upright.”
She further warned: “We are going to have this group convert to a listening and announcement group because you are not observing the decorum of this group and mutual respect.”
But Lungisa would not fold. “If I’m correct politically, I have no problem with that; you can challenge my views. I will always be guided by service to our people and not by expedience and careerism. We have no business with the DA. DA is the red line.”
Another NEC member, Nonceba Mhlauli, gently asked Lungisa to apologise but he turned a blind eye to her request.
Mdu Manana descended on Lungisa, accusing him of being a bully. “ This has nothing to do with the DA, it is your tone that is sickening. By the way, as an African child that you always claim to be, you have a responsibility to show respect to every elder, including those elders who belong to the DA,” he wrote.
Lungisa denied insulting anyone, repeating, “No one must associate us with the DA.”
Lungisa remained firm in his crusade against the DA, until the WhatsApp group administrator locked comments to allow “only admins” to send messages.
ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhenu-Motsiri was unavailable for comment because of a family bereavement.
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Andile Lungisa is a convicted violent man. He won’t survive a day on the streets without ANC. Outside politics he’s completely useless as he has no skills and he’s semi-educated.
You are an IDIOT OF NOTE shame, thinking that Lungisa is useless.
Lungisa has achieved more than you in life IDIOT.
POLITICAL BUFFOONS LIKE YOU ALWAYS THINKS ABOUT THEIR STOMACHS BEFORE ANYTHING.
LUNGISA IS NOT ON YOUR LEVEL POLITICALLY.
YOU ARE JUST A POLITICAL BUFFOON WHO ONLY HAULES ON SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT OTHERS WHO ARE PROGRESSIVE POLITICALLY.
YOU ARE A POLITICAL BUFFOON , IDIOT.
Lungisa is right our history does n9t allow us to associate with DA.