Cape Town – ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has reportedly angered senior party leaders by forming a secret team to negotiate the budget with the DA, bypassing the ANC’s official negotiating structures.
According to The Citizen, most NEC members only learned of this team during a recent meeting, leading to backlash from top officials, including ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe and chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli.
Mbalula’s team, which included Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, former MP Nkenke Kekana, ex-Gauteng premier David Makhura, and Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, allegedly undermined the official task team, the report said, citing Sunday Times.
His deputies, Maropene Ramokgopa and Nomvula Mokonyane, were particularly frustrated by being left out.
“They undermined the task team… Mbalula did not even care to inform his deputy, Maropene [Ramokgopa], who was part of the official task team.
“She was not happy and Nomvula [Mokonyane] was not happy. You must remember this is not the first time Mbalula has blindsided his deputies. It’s irritating to them,” the report quoted a source as saying.
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Critics argue that the DA was misled into thinking the secret team represented the Presidency, further complicating negotiations.
Mbalula defended his actions, saying that side meetings with the DA had been common during the GNU negotiations and that his role as secretary-general justified his approach.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Mbalula slammed the DA as “arrogant and disrespectful” after the party voted against the 2025 National Budget, causing tensions within the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Speaking at the ANC’s smart membership card rollout in Diepsloot on Saturday, Mbalula criticised the DA for prioritising “winning” rather than cooperation, saying the party must now decide whether to stay in the GNU.
He argued that rejecting the budget indicates the DA is no longer aligned with the ANC-led government, saying, “It is their burden. They must answer for it,” IOL reported.
Pressure is mounting within the ANC National Working Committee (NWC) for President Cyril Ramaphosa to take action against DA ministers who opposed the budget, with some ANC members calling for the DA’s removal from the GNU, the report said.
The NEC is set to hold a special meeting on Monday to address the fallout, and potential consequences could include a cabinet reshuffle.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
