
ANC's Mbalula hits out at party succession talk, Motsepe links
JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC)'s Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has warned that leading the ANC is not as easy as running a football club.
This as he tackled claims of a perceived campaign by billionaire Patrice Motsepe to succeed Cyril Ramaphosa as party president.
Mbalula said it was not even known if Motsepe, one of the ANC's major donors, belonged to a branch in the party.
Mbalula spoke in the Eastern Cape on Friday night at the 9th Chris Hani regional conference, which elected its executive without any contestation.
Despite the ANC calling on its members to not engage in talks about succession and its 2027 national conference, discussions have been rife.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

TimesLIVE
4 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Senzo Mchunu launches Operation Asiye Ekhaya to woo back former ANC members
ANC NEC member Senzo Mchunu is adamant that being part of the government of national unity (GNU) is not the alpha and omega. Speaking at the party's recruitment drive campaign called Operation Asiye Ekhaya in Mtshezi in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands on Sunday, Mchunu said the ANC was concerned over the party's dwindling support. 'Here in KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC performed dismally in the recent general elections, receiving only 17%,' he said. Mchunu said they have decided to launch the Operation Asiye Ekhaya campaign because they want to turn the tide. He said the ANC would still lead the country outside the GNU. 'Circumstances forced us to form a GNU, hence one of the reasons we have decided to launch Operation Asiye Ekhaya, where we are recruiting back all our former members who joined other political parties for different reasons,' he said. 'The ANC has lost millions of members to splinter parties like the EFF and most recently the MK Party led by former president Jacob Zuma.' He added that the exodus of members has had a negative impact on the party. The EFF led by Julius Malema and MK Party have gained millions of voters from the ANC. In earlier years, the ANC also lost some of its voters to the UDM and Congress of the People. On Sunday, Mchunu welcomed about 200 members from different political parties, including the MK Party and the National Freedom Party. He said Mtshezi is one of the important areas in the history of the ANC since it produced one of their former presidents, Josaih Gumede. Mchunu also explained to the people of Mtshezi the challenges the government is facing. 'We have identified the growing of the economy as a main priority. If we grow the economy we will be able to create employment opportunities in the country so that many people will be able to look after their families,' he said, adding that the ANC has a plan on how to grow the economy. 'The ANC is the only organisation in the country that has a comprehensive plan to grow the economy,' he said.


The Citizen
6 hours ago
- The Citizen
ANC is a very sexist organisation
It's not only women who feel they are being excluded. ANC first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane says her party has always been a male-dominated organisation. This, according to Mokonyane, played itself out publicly when Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma contested the party's presidency against Cyril Ramaphosa in 2017. At the time, over 4 000 delegates voted, with Ramaphosa winning 2 440 votes to Dlamini-Zuma's 2 261. There were questions on the capabilities of women to lead the party, and Dlamini-Zuma's relation to former president Jacob Zuma. ALSO READ: ANC55: 'I am going to win,' says confident Nomvula Mokonyane Mokonyane used the incident as one that testified to the ANC's sexism. 'There must not be an illusion that the ANC has never been a male-dominated organisation – very sexist. The question that arises is: Are women ready? Women have always been ready. All of us say the ANC was founded on the following values, the value of a non-sexist organisation was not a priority in the ANC,' Mokonyane told Sunday World. 'They demonised Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma – the ANC. I don't care about the people outside. The women themselves were not united, and there was also this issue about associating her with Jacob Zuma, which is so wrong. If there was somebody who could have gone and formed a party, it would have been her, not Jacob Zuma.' ANC: Old vs young It's not only women who feel they are being excluded. Last week, the ANC Youth League in Gauteng lamented the exclusion of young people by 'old people' in the party. Addressing a media briefing, Secretary Mpume Sangweni stated that the ANC's argument that young people are not ready for leadership positions was invalid. ALSO READ: ANC holds provincial conferences ahead of local government elections 'There appears to be a deliberate attempt to exclude young people in this province,' he said. 'Our impatience is that there are no responses, and we are starting to have problems. Generally, old people are starting to be allergic to the rise of young people in the province. 'There is an MEC who was an MEC when he was 26 years old. No questions were asked whether he was ready or not. Today, he's the second senior MEC in the executive. They themselves were given an opportunity that they have; what then prevents them from giving the chairperson of the GP [Gauteng] youth league that experience? We don't buy that explanation, and we have raised these issues with them.' READ MORE: 'Asi spani': Frustrated Gauteng ANCYL in an 'abusive relationship' with Lesufi

IOL News
11 hours ago
- IOL News
Three decades into democracy, there is nothing to celebrate this Youth Day
The youth of 1994, once celebrated as 'Tintswalo' by President Cyril Ramaphosa, now face a bleak reality with little to show for their parents' sacrifices. This Youth Day, we must confront the failures of a system that has left them behind Image: SoraAI June 16 should be a moment to honour the sacrifice of the brave young South Africans who died fighting for justice. But today, we look around and ask, what exactly are we celebrating? Nearly half of South Africa's young people are unemployed. For those between the ages of 15 and 24, the figure climbs to a staggering 62.4%. These are not just numbers - they are lives left in limbo. It is a generation adrift in the very democracy that was meant to set them free. And it's an economic ticking time bomb. After three decades of ANC-led governance, the promise of a better life for all feels like a hollow slogan, especially to the youth. The children of 1994 – the so called 'Tintswalo' celebrated by President Cyril Ramaphosa – who are now adults, have little to show for the democracy their parents voted for. Instead of opportunity, they've inherited a system that failed them. South Africa's youth is a demographic goldmine. A young population should be a competitive advantage – a wellspring of energy, innovation, and growth. But because of government mismanagement, our greatest asset has become our greatest liability. We are failing our young people at every turn, in education, in training, in access to jobs, and in the simple dignity of hope. We are a country rich in mineral wealth and untapped potential, yet our young people stand in snaking queues to access a measly R350 grant. While the elite flaunt their wealth on social media, score tender after tender, fly business class, experience no load-shedding or water cuts, millions of South Africa's youth scavenge in the dust bin of opportunity for whatever dignity they can find. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading How do we justify youth unemployment rates that are the highest in the world — worse than some war-torn regions? According to figures from StatsSA, more than one in three young South Africans are not in employment, education or training. They are not lazy or waiting for a handout. They are simply shut out of a system riddled with corruption and inertia which no longer works for them — if it ever did. Thirty years into freedom, too many of our youth still go to township schools with broken toilets and overcrowded classrooms. They leave with matric certificates not worth the paper it is printed on and spend their days following the shade around their homes. It is not that they lack ambition, it's that the State lacks vision. It's our national shame. What makes this betrayal more cruel is the legacy of June 16. The youth of 1976 did not face bullets and teargas so that their grandchildren could be discarded by a government that carried so much promise when elected freely in 1994. They died to end apartheid, not to usher in a new form of economic exclusion. The ANC government has had more than thirty years to deliver on its promises. Instead, we now have a bloated cabinet, whose members call flying economy class 'sadistic', and rack up R200 million in travel expenses in a year while many South Africans live in squalor and go to bed hungry. There is nothing to celebrate this Youth Day. Not when hunger outpaces opportunity. Not when hope is rationed by who you know. Not when millions of young South Africans feel like outsiders in their own country. What we need now is not another Tintswalo speech. We need action. We need change. South Africa cannot afford to waste another generation. We need urgent, radical reforms – real skills development, real job creation, real leadership. The young must become the centre of economic policy, not an afterthought buried under slogans. Until then, spare us the Tintswalo speeches. Spare us the hashtags and the press conferences. There is no pride in pretending things are better than they are. On this Youth Day, we mourn potential denied. And we demand better. Lee Rondganger is the Deputy Editor of IOL. IOL Opinion Lee Rondganger Image: IOL Graphic