Internal strife in ANC following Mbalula's announcement of former Deputy President's death
Image: X/@FikileMbalula
The ANC is grappling with an internal controversy after Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula 'deliberately and prematurely" announced the death of former Deputy President David Mabuza, sparking widespread criticism and calls for him to take responsibility for his actions.
According to ANC insiders, President Cyril Ramaphosa was "very angry" after Mbalula took to social media to announce Mabuza's death ahead of the president's official announcement.
Ramaphosa had delayed announcing the death because he had been waiting to express his condolences to Mabuza's family before informing the nation.
Mabuza died at a Sandton hospital on Thursday, after a short illness.
Sources claim that Ramaphosa's frustration stems from Mbalula's breach of protocol, which is seen as a sign of disrespect to the president and the party.
"The president was waiting for the family to arrive before making the announcement, and Mbalula's actions were seen as a disregard for the family's grief," a source said.
Senior members of the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) are now calling for Mbalula to explain himself and take responsibility for his actions.
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
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.
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Sources further suggest that Mbalula's actions were deliberate, driven by his presidential ambitions ahead of the 2027 ANC elective conference.
"We all know that Comrade Fikile has ambitions to become the next president," a source said.
"Making that announcement on Thursday was deliberate to show his backers that he had power. Rank and file within the party know that it's the president who makes these announcements, not the party."
Mbalula's phone rang unanswered on Sunday.
However, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu has defended Mbalula, saying that his post was a "compassionate" and personal reflection, not an official statement.
"The Secretary-General's earlier social media post was a humane and compassionate reflection during a moment of collective grief, when the nation was already widely informed by media platforms," Bhengu said.
She said the suggestion that Mbalula announced the passing of the late former Deputy President was far from the truth.
'It is misleading reporting by journalists who are bound by industry ethics to report objectively and factually,' she said.
Former deputy president David Mabuza died, aged 64.
Image: X
Meanwhile Mabuza's family has confirmed that his funeral is scheduled for next Saturday, July 12, 2025.
Friends and political associates have gathered at the Mabuza residence to offer support to the grieving family, who are still coming to terms with his sudden passing.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
2 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Tshwane city manager faces ANC push for removal, three years on
The ANC wants to remove highly regarded Tshwane city manager Johann Mettler, three years after his appointment. Gauteng MEC for Local Government Jacob Mamabolo has weighed in with a letter about Mettler's appointment, showing that threats by the city's governing coalition to get rid of Mettler are becoming more serious. The three issues now raised by the provincial leader – who has oversight powers over the metro – were not flagged at the time of the appointment. Mettler is regarded as one of South Africa's most qualified and technocratic city managers: he has an LLM from Lund University in Sweden, an LLB and BProc from the University of the Western Cape, and has worked in local government since 1995. He has served as an administrator brought in to stabilise dysfunctional municipalities and was city manager of the Drakenstein and Nelson Mandela Bay councils. 'Whatever legal pretext the ANC coalition devises, the point is that the party would prefer one of their own deployed cadres – not an independent professional – in the job of municipal manager,' said Cilliers Brink, the DA Tshwane caucus leader and former mayor. He said Mettler had come under attack in council several times. 'The most notable of these attacks happened when it became clear that the city would not drop the case against the Rooiwaal Five, city officials implicated in the irregular tender award to a consortium of ANC funder Edwin Sodi.' Sodi won the tender for repairs to the Rooiwaal Waste-Water Treatment Plant, which were botched and caused severe downstream water contamination, most notably affecting the Hammanskraal community. Brink has written to Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya of ActionSA about the growing attacks on the city manager. 'ActionSA's position is clear and consistent: we will not support the removal of any senior manager unless there is a clear, lawful and governance-based reason for doing so. [We] will not compromise the integrity of governance in Tshwane for the sake of political expediency. We remain committed to a principled, lawful and stable administration that serves the best interests of residents,' the party said. Mamabolo has now raised concerns – three years after the fact – about the interview panel for Mettler's appointment and his qualifications under the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA). Brink, who was mayor at the time of Mettler's appointment, said the panel that made the appointment complied with regulations for senior managers. Mettler had also completed the MFMA qualifications he needed. '…The legal implications of asking council to reverse an appointment at this stage remain uncertain and require careful consideration,' ActionSA said. The ANC holds 75 of 214 seats in the Tshwane council and governs with support from the EFF (23) and ActionSA (19), along with smaller parties. The DA has 69 seats. The attempt to axe Mettler could destabilise governance in South Africa's capital.
Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
ANC's Mbalula says there was no intent from Nkabane to mislead Parliament
JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) says its deployed Minister of Higher Education Nobuhle Nkabane did not "lie" to Parliament but made a "mistake" with the appointments of the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) recently came under pressure after announcing SETA chairpersons, which included a number of ANC-linked minister later told Parliament that the names of the chairpersons were recommended to her by an independent advisory panel, which was dominated by people working in her department. ALSO READ:• DA says its criminal complaint against Minister Nkabane being investigated by Hawks • Nkabane more than capable of leading Higher Education Dept: ANC in National Assembly • Some parties in National Assembly reject Nkabane's budget • Nkabane: Parties rejecting budget of Higher Education Dept punishing SA students • Majority of political parties in NCOP reject higher education dept's budget, call for Nkabane's axing • ANC believes DA's criminal complaint against Nkabane part of its grievance over Whitfield's axing The ANC has been under pressure from some of its Government of National Unity (GNU) partners to take action against Nkabane for lying to minister submitted a list to Parliament, which said her "independent" advisory panel was chaired by Advocate Terry she was forced to rescind Motau's name after he wrote to Parliament saying that he played no part in the appointment of the politically connected SETA a media briefing on Monday, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said the minister had corrected her mistake by restarting the entire process."There was no intent to mislead Parliament and certainly no malice. Upon becoming aware of the error, the minister promptly apologised to Parliament and issued a formal written apology to Motau, personally and publicly, acknowledging the mistake and correcting the record." Mbalula has accused the Democratic Alliance (DA) of "performative politics" by laying a perjury case against Nkabane with the police.
Mail & Guardian
4 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
Mbalula confident Mchunu would respond to Mkhwanazi's allegation
ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula. (X) ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said he was confident Police Minister 'I'm fully confident that he will engage with the leadership of the ANC on the disparaging allegations that have been made. He owes it to the ANC; he doesn't have to be commanded,' Mbalula said at a media briefing on Monday. He spoke a day after Mkhwanazi said at a media Mkhwanazi said on Sunday that Mchunu had ordered the closure of the team formed in 2018 to investigate politically motivated murders in On Monday, Mbalula said Mchunu would brief ANC officials 'as a deployee' of the party. 'But at the end of the day, where action must be taken is in government, it's not in the ANC. And the ANC would like to see action,' Mbalula said. On Sunday, Mchunu accused Mkhwanazi of making 'wild allegations' that required 'an urgent, thorough and transparent investigation, on a proper platform'. 'The minister of police will never allow his integrity, that of the ministry or the SAPS [South African Police Service] at large, to be undermined by insinuations made without evidence or due processes, from anyone, including Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi,' the police minister said. 'We will be reviewing the provincial commissioner's statements and consider appropriate action.' Mbalula said the issues raised by Mkhwanazi must be attended to, and the facts established. He said the party would not defend Mchunu or any of its members implicated in wrongdoing. 'This thing that we are complicit in as a party to the protection of wrongdoing, maybe it happened in the past. At the present moment we're carrying out our renewal project,' Mbalula said. 'We have said that even if you are members of the ANC and you are arrested, you are on the wrong side of the law, you are accused of corruption, you step aside. We are without our former secretary general [Ace Magashule] in the party because we had to put him on a step aside.' The ANC's step-aside rule stipulates that members charged with criminal offences must relinquish their positions until they are cleared of the charges. Mbalula said some South Africans had already decided that Mchunu was guilty, but he still had to tell his side of the story. He added that the country's fight against crime had taken a turn for the better since Mchunu became police minister last year. 'We have been praising the minister and Mkhwanazi [for their performances in their jobs], then, boom, there is a problem between the minister and generals. None of us would say we know.' Mbalula said the issues Mkhwanazi had raised required serious attention and President Cyril Ramaphosa had committed to getting to the bottom of the allegations
