Gwede Mantashe Reprimands ANC Councillors, Sparks Mixed Reactions by Saying They Lack Capacity
- African National Congress (ANC) National Chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, reprimanded councillors
- The Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources was unhappy with the conduct of members at the Roll Call
- South Africans weighed in on Mantashe's comments, with some praising him for calling members to order
Source: Facebook
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
Gwede Mantashe has sparked mixed reactions online, many of which were praise, after he reprimanded many African National Congress (ANC) councillors.
Mantashe slammed the conduct of councillors at the party Roll Call at FNB Stadium outside Soweto on 15 September 2025. Over 4,600 party councillors attended the event where Ramaphosa unveiled a Service Delivery Action Plan.
What did Mantashe say?
While addressing the gathered crowd, the ANC National Chairperson grew tired of members being disruptive and reprimanded the councillors.
PAY ATTENTION: stay informed and follow us on Google News!
“Comrades who are councillors, leaders of the ANC, who make noise when a meeting is underway, what kind of leadership is that? There is no such leadership comrades,” he stated.
The Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources also slammed the members for singing and dancing during the event, saying that some of them lacked capacity.
“I know that there is a lot of singing, councillors, but there are no councils. You all sing well, but capacity dololo,” he exclaimed.
You can view his comments below.
Mantashe is no stranger to speaking his mind. This year, he sparked mixed reactions when he claimed that AfriForum hoped for Apartheid’s return. He also caused a stir online when he said that Thabo Mbeki must accept that he’s no longer in leadership.
Fikile Mbalula booed by ANC Youth League members
Mantashe isn’t the only ANC member who has had to deal with unruly members. The party’s Secretary-General was booed by members of the Mpumalanga ANC’s Youth League (ANCYL), who were unhappy with some of the resolutions taken at the party’s 9th Regional Conference in Ehlanzeni.
Mbalula was not impressed with league members venting their anger on him.
“Let me tell you, I run the ANC, and I belong to a collective, and nobody will intimidate me,” he told members.
Source: Facebook
How did South Africans react to Mantashe’s comments?
Social media users shared mixed reactions to the minister’s annoyance with members, with some praising the National Chairperson, while others said it signalled division within the party.
@Thabo_kganakga stated:
“He's telling them the truth.”
@iamjoshdylan laughed:
“This organisation is toast😂.”
@Tsogang3 said:
“Gwede Mantashe is making sense here. If only they had ears🤣.”
@nudgeitforward noted:
“30 odd years on and Gwede realises that singing and dancing do not solve problems. I guess it’s a step in the right direction.”
@therealsiya added:
“This is an implosion.”
@Zani_Baccaria joked:
“He's cooking them😂🔥.”
@AzaniaIzweLethu stated:
“Gwede is very rude. He’s insulting councillors and expects them to clap for him. This is a National Chairperson, but they are failing to address the ANC members properly. Being a councillor doesn’t mean that they are stupid and not leading in their respective wards and branches.”
@Livhu_Mukhondo asked:
“But whose fault is this? You appoint councillors with no capacity.”
@MrBeyofBeys stated:
“Finally, someone has acknowledged the problem.”
Ramaphosa admits DA municipalities are outperforming ANC ones
Briefly News reported that President Ramaphosa expressed his frustration with ANC councillors.
The president said it hurt him to admit that DA municipalities were outperforming ANC ones.
Some South Africans joked that the president was campaigning for the opposition party.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
