Mbalula says the time for non action against ill-discipline is over.
African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has announced the party will charge Tony Yengeni for negative comments he has made about the leadership of the party.
Yengeni has highly criticised Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC presidency, having previously called for him to step down.
In December, he made a comment on Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala saga, saying, “Stashing, millions of undeclared US dollars in your couches is not legal in South Africa”.
Yengeni represented former ANC president Jacob Zuma at his disciplinary hearing, which resulted in Zuma’s expulsion last year. He has repeatedly defended Zuma from his detractors on social media, and also praised him.
Mbalula: ‘We will charge them’
In a media briefing to provide an update on the state of readiness for the party’s 113th-anniversary celebrations on Monday, Mbalula said Yengeni and other ANC members will be charged for their social media comments.
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“Tony Yengeni will be charged. I have informed him through an SMS, I have called him. We will charge him. We will bring him before the disciplinary processes of the ANC so that he explains himself in terms of the membership of the ANC. For many other statements he has made, we will charge him,” said Mbalula.
“The discipline in ANC is important. I’ve seen other people on Twitter, every day when they have taken something at 2am, tweeting things that bring the ANC into disrepute. They, too, will be attended to very soon.
“There is nothing about raising views and ideas. But to attack the organisation and cast aspersions on the leadership of the ANC will not be tolerated. They will be brought to the book, we will discipline them.
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“The time to talk and not to bring people to disciple is over. He always tweets [and] supports everything about MK party, we will never allow that.”
ANC in Khayelitsha
Mbalula further dismissed claims about the capacity of the Mandela Park Stadium, saying it holds 22 000 people, instead of the reported 2 000.
There were claims that the party took its celebration to the venue because it only holds 2 000 people, to avoid the embarrassment of not filling a larger venue.
However, Mbalula said the stadium being referred to could not be used due to safety issues. As a result, the party would use the park next to it, which has a capacity of 22 000.
“For once, we want to thank the City of Cape Town for good collaboration with us in terms of making it possible for us to host a rally here,” said Mbalula.
“We didn’t have a first and second choice. We took a deliberate choice decision, as part of the rebuilding of the ANC, that we need to connect with our people. Khayelitsha is the biggest constituent of the ANC in the Western Cape.
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“Our people feel forgotten, and their spirits have been dampened. We are here to say to them, the ANC will never forget you. We know that the Western Cape government has forgotten you, in fact, they have abandoned you. Until the ANC is in power and pursues the transformation agenda of ensuring that we bring about a better life in terms of policies, we will never abandon them.”
