The ANC’s highest decision-making body between conferences has placed a gag order for all who are presidential hopefuls wanting to replace Cyril Ramaphosa in 2027.
Not only that. In what is akin of military-style discipline, the national executive committee has also resolved to investigate its members for leaks of internal documents and information to the media.
These harsh resolutions were announced by Luthuli House no-nonsense boss Fikile Mbalula on Tuesday. He made the announcement during a media briefing at the party head office, an Joburg CBD.
Reacting to Mashatile’s succession comments
Mbalula was reacting to ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile. Last week, during an interview with the Sunday Times, the deputy president said he was available for the top job if offered.
Mashatile got away with it because he made the remarks a day before the gag order resolution was taken by the NEC on Saturday.
According to Mbalula, the NEC imposed the gag order so that all ANC leaders can focus on rebuilding the party following the May 29 elections drubbing.
Discussing succession now, charged the ANC administration boss, affectionately known as Vutha, was reckless. Because the timing was just off, given the position ANC finds itself in.
“In terms of the ANC rules and directives now, no leadership should be answering questions about succession. Every ANC member should be preoccupied with service delivery, the cost of living of the people, and all of that,” said Mbalula.
Self aggrandisement
“This succession item will come at the right time. It cannot be on our agenda now. We still have a local government election to win in 2026. And we have a programme of action of rebuilding the ANC to implement.
“If we now preoccupy the ground and our membership with the 2027 conference, that is personal aggrandisement. [It] has got nothing to do with what we have characterised as a setback in this moment we are in, having lost the biggest majority.
“We cannot therefore, as the ANC has the biggest priority being who becomes a leader, we cannot allow that. And we have drawn the line in the sand for everyone.”
Mbalula said those who dare cross this line will be dealt with harshly. This as the party under his stewardship was no longer going to allow ill-discipline at all levels.
Any information that is leaked through unofficial channels that is embarrassing and brining the ANC into disrepute, will be investigated. This is part of the high discipline that Mbalula must enforce.
And when those who leaked the information to the media are found, the party would deal with them accordingly.
Days of ‘open season’ are over
The days of open season are gone. Where everyone does what they want and leak selective information. Days where they do so because they are “constipated by factionalism”, had come to an end, he said.
“It is wrong for a faceless source, constipated with factionalism, at the highest level of the NEC, to contradict official communication of the NEC by saying it is not true. And they become the most trusted,” said Mbalula.
“Members of the ANC must self-respect. We will use forensic means to determine who in our ranks has decided to work with and leak [to] the media. It is not undermining freedom of the press. What we are doing has nothing to do with the press. It has everything to do with people undermining the communication strategy of the ANC and standing in society. This by way of miscommunication and distorting decisions of the ANC.”
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