Mbalula Slams Sexwale and Mbeki

The ANC Secretary-General flexes authority by slating party veterans for using public platforms to attack the current leadership

ANC Secretary-General (SG), Fikile Mbalula, has fiercely rebuked Tokyo Sexwale and former President, Thabo Mbeki, for launching public attacks against current party leadership. Speaking at Luthuli House, Mbalula warned that public criticism from such senior veterans severely undermines organisational cohesion.

The secretary-general slammed the high-profile duo for taking their grievances to media platforms and podcasts instead of using internal party structures.

Mbalula argued that these hostile interventions from former leaders create an impression of deep division and confuse core supporters.

“There are instances where those who have led before us now choose to make public commentary that can be interpreted as oppositional,” he said.

Mbalula defended the current administration under President Cyril Ramaphosa, asserting that the party rigorously follows institutional and legal frameworks. He maintained that while the movement values historical experience, constructive engagement must happen strictly within constitutional structures.

These scathing remarks highlight escalating generational and ideological warfare between the current executive and influential apartheid-era veterans. Political analysts say Mbalula’s public broadside reflects an aggressive effort by the new guard to finally assert absolute authority.

The secretary-general concluded that continued public defiance risks destroying the movement's remaining credibility ahead of upcoming political contests. He demanded immediate internal discipline, warning that the party can no longer tolerate senior members acting as an opposition.