Gwede Mantashe Questions What He Must Apologise for After ANC Women’s League Condemns His Remarks

• Gwede Mantashe responded to calls from the African National Congress Women's League to apologise
• The ANC Women's League labelled his recent comments during an interview 'disturbing' and 'derogatory '
• Mantashe spoke outside Parliament about the uproar, saying that many Xhosa linguists agreed with his position

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism.

WESTERN CAPE — Gwede Mantashe has addressed recent calls by the ANC Women's League (ANCWL) for him to apologise following comments he made in a now-viral clip.

Speaking in a live interview with SABC News on the sidelines of the 2026 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) outside Parliament, Mantashe maintained that he did not know what he was being asked to apologise for.

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The controversy stems from remarks Mantashe made in response to a Newzroom Afrika journalist who asked him about allegations, specifically that a municipal councillor in a North West mining town had demanded sexual favours from women seeking employment. Mantashe used crude terms and characterised it as an individual's misconduct rather than an ANC failing.

The ANCWL condemned Mantashe's original remarks as "disturbing," "derogatory," and "gratuitously improper." The league called on him to issue a formal public apology to both the journalist and the broader public, and called for internal disciplinary proceedings. The ANCWL also rejected any suggestion that his age or seniority in the organisation should shield him from accountability.

Mantashe questions the basis for an apology

When asked about the ANCWL's call for a public apology, Mantashe said the league had not approached him directly.

"The Women's League has not spoken to me. And my expectation was that the Women's League would talk to me. And I would understand exactly what it is that I should apologise for. Is it Xhosa as a language?"

He added that Xhosa linguists had reviewed his remarks and found nothing warranting an apology.

When pressed by the interviewer on whether his position amounted to a conditional apology, Mantashe was emphatic.

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"No, I am apologising for something I do not know. Nobody spoke to me and said, 'This is what you should apologise for'."

Mantashe pushes back against Collen Malatji's comments

Briefly News also reported that Mantashe pushed back against ANC Youth League leader Collen Malatji's comments.

Malatji recently criticised Mantashe's departure from the COSATU conference, saying old people were killing the ANC.

Mantashe argued that Malatji lacks the experience to understand the established customs of the tripartite alliance.

Source: Briefly News