ANC denies NEC clash over Thabo Mbeki and Phala Phala comments

ANC rejects reports of confrontation at special NEC meeting

The African National Congress (ANC) has denied claims that a heated exchange took place at a special National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting over comments about former president Thabo Mbeki and the Phala Phala saga.

What was reported

Over the weekend, media reports said tensions flared during last week’s closed-door NEC meeting in Cape Town after deputy international relations minister Thandi Moraka allegedly criticised Mbeki for publicly commenting on the Phala Phala matter. The reports, published by Sunday World, said Moraka described Mbeki as posturing as a “super leader” and suggested some within the party treated his views as the “alpha and omega”.

ANC response

ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu strongly rejected the weekend reports, calling them “fabricated and unsubstantiated.” Bhengu said:

“The ANC rejects with contempt the fabricated and unsubstantiated report. At no point during the special NEC meeting did such discussions or confrontations occur in the manner alleged. The ANC believes this article stands as an example of how the media should not operate. Freedom of the press carries with it a responsibility to report truthfully, fairly and ethically, not to deliberately sow division through anonymous and unverifiable claims.”

Context: Phala Phala and recent developments

The reports came amid wider debate within and beyond the ANC after the Constitutional Court ordered Parliament to establish an impeachment inquiry into the Phala Phala scandal. The court judgment prompted national discussion about the party’s communication strategy, according to the reporting.

Thabo Mbeki has, since 2022, been openly critical of the ANC’s handling of the Phala Phala matter. In early 2023 he wrote to ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile, questioning the party’s decision to use its parliamentary majority to block adoption of the Section 89 panel report into President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa and the judicial review

Following the Constitutional Court ruling, President Ramaphosa said he would proceed with his 2022 plan to challenge the independent panel’s findings through a judicial review of the Section 89 Independent Panel Report. In a national address he said:

“Since a criminal complaint was laid against me in June 2022, I have consistently maintained that I have not stolen public money, committed any crime, nor violated my oath of office. I therefore respectfully want to make it clear that I will not resign. To do so would be to pre‑empt a process defined by the constitution.”

The decision to pursue a judicial review has drawn criticism from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which accused Ramaphosa of using legal mechanisms to evade accountability, according to the source reporting.

What happens next

The ANC has dismissed the weekend portrayal of events at the NEC as divisive and based on anonymous claims. The matter of the Phala Phala judgment and the parliamentary process it triggered remain active national issues.