The ANC said both Gigaba and Mchunu are 'casting aspersions on the character and unity of the party'.
The ANC said it will take disciplinary steps against MPs Malusi Gigaba and suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu, after their recent public statements about the party.
In an interview published in the Sunday Times, Gigaba said the ANC’s national executive committee had “failed in its objectives.”
Gigaba
“I don’t think we would say, if you asked us today, that we are doing [enough] and are succeeding in that regard, because if that were the case, the current splits that are happening in our society would not be taking place.
“Ideally, the ANC is the political representative of the black majority and all white democrats. They should all find expression in it and belong in it … And so the ANC is no longer the parliament of the people of South Africa, except in [name],” Gigaba said.
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Mchunu
Mchunu, speaking at the unveiling of a tombstone for the late struggle stalwart Nokuhamba Nyawo in Machobeni in Ngwavuma, northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday, said the ANC was “on the brink of collapse” and is at “risk of losing power if it fails to regroup before the 2026 local government elections.”
Mchunu likened the ANC to a person walking on the edge of a cliff. He said the party needs to regroup before it is too late.
“We know that people still love the ANC … We became big-headed and started taking them for granted and they punished us,” he said, adding there is still time to mend their ways.
Mchunu said they can still recruit back all their members who have left the movement and joined other mushrooming parties.
ANC violation
In a strongly worded statement on Monday, ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said the recent comments by the pair represented “a flagrant violation of ANC internal communication protocols” and “undermine the fundamental discipline of the movement.”
“These comrades acted outside of any sanctioned organisational mandate or collective structure, making pronouncements that amount to deliberate de-campaigning of the ANC.
“Their remarks do not reflect the views of any legitimate structure of the movement and must be seen as an opportunistic assault on the collective image, credibility, and cohesion of the African National Congress,” Mahlengi Bhengu said.
“Aspersions”
Mahlengi Bhengu said both Gigaba and Mchunu are “casting aspersions on the character and unity of the ANC, portraying the organisation as divided, incoherent and collapsing.”
“These actions serve only the strategic agenda of counter-revolution and weaken the people’s confidence in their movement. No disciplined comrade would, of their own volition, make statements that embolden forces that have long sought to reverse the gains of our revolution.”
Mahlengi Bhengu emphasised that communications in the ANC is a constitutional mandate of secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, the powers which are entrusted to the national spokesperson for operational purposes.
“Any deviation from this established protocol undermines internal cohesion, unity and renewal.”
Action
Mahlengi Bhengu said the party would take the necessary steps against Gigaba and Mchunu for their utterances.
“The ANC will take the necessary steps to correct this behaviour, and no comrade will be exempt from the discipline of the organisation, which demands unity, discipline, and revolutionary morality from all.
“As we advance the programme of renewal in the ANC and society, we must intensify our efforts to serve our people with humility and dignity. The renewal programme cannot co-exist with ill-discipline; we have no tolerance for conduct that seeks to weaken the collective,” Mahlengi Bhengu said.
Mahlengi Bhengu has called on ANC members and leaders to return to the “basic principles and values of our movement, and be committed to respecting the integrity and sanctity of our organisational processes.”
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