ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula. (@MbalulaFikile/X)
ANC secretary Fikile Mbalula has sent a stern warning to senior party members, including former president Thabo Mbeki, urging them to refrain from publicly criticising the current leadership and to allow the administration space to govern “just as they were allowed to lead”.
Mbeki has publicly criticised the ANC over how it handled President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala controversy. He also lambasted the party during former president Jacob Zuma’s leadership.
“When they were leading the ANC, they were given space. Madiba was told that he should give comrade Thabo Mbeki a chance to lead; he never went to the press,” Mbalula told journalists during a briefing at the party’s headquarters on Tuesday.
“Let’s not do this to the ANC. If Cyril, as president, is failing, call him, give him a chance. Don’t denigrate him in society. Ramaphosa is not infallible; he can be addressed like a child. This is his time and his last dance.
