Gwede Mantashe Dismisses Collen Malatji's Remarks on Cosatu Conference Exit

• ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe pushed back against ANCYL leader Collen Malatji's comments about his departure from the COSATU conference
• Mantashe argued that Malatji lacks the experience to understand the established customs of the tripartite alliance
• The ANC chairperson insisted his exit was not a walkout and refused to engage Malatji in a public media debate

SOUTH AFRICA — African National Congress (ANC) national chairperson Gwede Mantashe has publicly rejected criticism from ANC Youth League (ANCYL) leader Collen Malatji over his exit from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) conference on 12 October 2026, saying the youth leader does not understand the protocols of the tripartite alliance.

According to IOL, Mantashe made the remarks in an SABC News broadcast, as reported by Eyewitness News, in response to the dispute over speaker scheduling at the Cosatu event.

Mantashe defends his exit

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Mantashe affirmed that the party retains its leading position over the coalition, noting that traditional protocol governs speaker precedence at alliance functions. He stressed that altering the schedule unannounced openly challenges the party’s central leadership, explaining that opting not to deliver his speech preserved the organisation's respect. Rejecting claims that he staged a walkout, he described his exit as a structured choice based on historical seniority.

Mantashe declines media debate with Malatji

Despite Malatji's reported calls for veteran politicians to step aside, Mantashe said he had no interest in trading words with the youth leader through the media. He suggested that Malatji's relative inexperience left him ill-equipped to fully appreciate the customs that have governed the relationship between the ANC, Cosatu, and the South African Communist Party (SACP) over decades. The spat highlights ongoing tensions between the ANC's senior leadership and the youth wing over the party's internal culture and the manner in which alliance disagreements are handled publicly. Malatji recently held a press briefing where he addressed the media.

View a tweet of the press briefing on X here:

Gwede Mantashe defends ANC's 32-year record

In a related article, Briefly News reported on Mantashe’s defence of the ANC’s record on child development, including grants, no-fee schools and university funding.

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South Africans challenged his account, arguing that social investment does not erase concerns about unemployment, corruption and government performance.

Source: Briefly News