ANC Moves to Discipline Gigaba and Mchunu After Harsh Criticism of Party

Two senior voices take aim at the ANC

The African National Congress (ANC) is bracing for internal turbulence after confirming it will take disciplinary steps against Malusi Gigaba and Senzo Mchunu, both of whom recently delivered stinging critiques of the party’s leadership and direction.

In a weekend interview, former cabinet minister Gigaba said the ANC’s national executive committee had “failed in its objectives,” accusing the governing party of losing its position as a true representative of South Africans.

Meanwhile, in KwaZulu-Natal, suspended Police Minister Mchunu likened the ANC to a person teetering on the edge of a cliff, warning that the party risks losing power in the 2026 local government elections if it fails to regroup.

“We punished ourselves”

Speaking at the unveiling of the tombstone of struggle stalwart Nokuhamba Nyawo in Ngwavuma, Mchunu admitted the ANC had taken voters for granted.

“We became big-headed and started taking them for granted and they punished us,” he said, urging the party to win back disillusioned members who have since joined emerging political movements.

His words echoed a sentiment long whispered among the ANC’s grassroots supporters: the belief that the liberation movement, once seen as the embodiment of the people’s hopes, has grown distant from its base.

ANC hits back: “opportunistic assault”

The party’s leadership was quick to strike back. In a strongly worded statement, ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu accused both men of launching “an opportunistic assault” on the party’s credibility.

“These comrades acted outside of any sanctioned organisational mandate, making pronouncements that amount to deliberate de-campaigning of the ANC,” she said, adding that their remarks cast aspersions on the party’s unity and cohesion.

Bhengu stressed that official communication is the constitutional mandate of the ANC’s secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, and that any deviation undermines the movement’s renewal agenda.

Disciplinary steps on the horizon

Although details remain under wraps, the ANC confirmed that it will discipline both Gigaba and Mchunu for violating internal communication protocols.

“No comrade will be exempt from the discipline of the organisation,” Bhengu said, insisting that unity and revolutionary morality are non-negotiable as the party seeks to rebuild public trust.

The bigger picture: cracks or renewal?

The ANC’s move raises deeper questions. Are Gigaba and Mchunu simply reckless in their public criticism, or are they voicing the frustrations of many within the party and society at large?

Public reaction has been divided. On social media, some South Africans applauded the two for “saying what everyone is thinking,” while others blasted them for “airing dirty laundry” and weakening the ANC further.

The controversy also highlights a long-standing tension inside the ruling party: loyalty to unity versus the freedom to speak frankly about failures.

As the ANC heads toward another election cycle, its biggest challenge may not be opposition parties, but managing these internal battles and convincing voters that it still has the humility to listen, regroup, and serve.

{Source: The Citizen}

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