I Don’t Even Know What You Want Anymore: Mantashe Replies To ANC Women’s League Over Apology Demands

The ANC Women’s League has publicly demanded an apology and organisational censure from ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe for his contentious comments made during a recent media interaction, but Mantashe has resisted the demands. In response to the league’s public statement, Mantashe said that he was unsure of the precise circumstances under which he was expected to make a formal apology as the women’s wing leadership had not sought his direct, internal advice on their complaints.

A video of a discussion between Mantashe and a television journalist during an organisational campaign event went viral, leading to the public disagreement between the top party official and the women’s structure. Concerning grave claims that a mining town councilman had solicited sexual favours from women in return for job openings, Mantashe denied any involvement of party policy when questioned about the issue. In his reaction, the national chairman made use of strong language in an effort to separate the ruling party from the actions of individual members, stating that the party as a whole should not be held responsible for the transgressions of its elected officials.

In a quick public statement, the ANC Women’s League slammed the national chairperson’s choice of language, calling them gratuitously disrespectful, insulting, and unbecoming of a senior leader. League leaders stressed that Mantashe, as a movement elder, has a responsibility to address delicate problems with the exploitation of vulnerable job seekers in a way that upholds the ideals of equality, non-sexism, and moral respect. On behalf of the party, the league publicly apologised to the journalist and demanded that Mantashe face formal disciplinary action from inside the organization for his comments.

Mantashe defended his stance by saying that party structures are required by organisational procedure to resolve internal disputes and complaints via recognised leadership channels before making requests to the public. According to Mantashe, the women’s league caused needless uncertainty about the nature of the disagreement by bringing it up in the public without first talking to him directly. He said he couldn’t provide a workable response to the league’s requests unless there was official internal correspondence outlining the particular infractions claimed.

As party leadership structures fight to control public discourse and maintain discipline in the lead-up to big political events, the public repercussions shows how strained relations are within the ruling party. People from all walks of life are taking an interest in the conflict, with opposition leaders and civil society groups offering their opinions on the best way for political parties to deal with accusations of gender-based exploitation and hold themselves to account. Top party officials are required to resolve the internal divide, restore organisational cohesiveness, and maintain statutory communication standards across all party branches as demands for leadership involvement increase.

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