Fikile Mbalula vows to suppress leadership debate

ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula says he is not afraid of the party’s leader but warns that he will suppress those behind talks of removing President Cyril Ramaphosa at the December 2027 election conference.

After suffering a defeat in the May 29 national and provincial elections, the ANC had to regroup instead of focusing on who would lead after Ramaphosa.

The ANC resorted to a new Government of National Unity (GNU) setup.

Mbalula said the debate over who will lead should not be discussed at this point and promised to take a firm stance against those pushing for such discussions.

“I am going to suppress them. You’d have never seen suppression in your life in the ANC, you are going to see that. Our preoccupation cannot be who is the leader,” he said.

Mbalula was addressing the media on the sidelines of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, on Thursday. This will be followed by the NEC Lekgotla over the weekend, where key issues such as low election turnout, the dire state of the organization, and an action plan will be on the agenda.

Mbalula hinted at his aspirations to become an ANC leader but said that any communication regarding this would be made in the appropriate manner.

“I am not afraid of leading and also not afraid of being led, both ways. I am in charge now, this SG position I hold comes with a huge responsibility. I am the only one who can undermine the job that the ANC members have given me.

“I am going to work on this, including after the terrible and calamity visited on us.

“What will happen in 2027, what members of the ANC want they will pronounce, but we’re not going to turn the ANC programme of action to become 2024, with people doing as they wish.

“We’re going to suppress them heavily and we are not going to allow political opportunism to reign in the ANC.”

Mbalula is among those likely to go head-on with Deputy President Paul Mashatile to replace Ramaphosa after the election conference.