Fikile Mbalula Admits Not Every ANC Member Is Clean, South Africans Call It an Understatement
- Fikile Mbalula weighed in on how corruption was affecting the image of the African National Congress
- The Secretary-General of the party also claimed that not every member of the party was clean
- South Africans weighed in on Mbalula's comments, with many not surprised by his comments about corruption
Source: Getty Images
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.
MPUMALANGA – Fikile Mbalula has admitted that corruption was giving the African National Congress (ANC) a bad name, even in cases when the party was not involved.
The Secretary-General of the ANC made the admission while speaking at the Mpumalanga Provincial General Council on Saturday, 18 October 2025.
Mbalula also stated that the party needed to adopt a firmer stance against corruption, whether it was against civil servants or its own members.
Mbalula admits not all ANC members are clean
During his speech, Mbalula conceded that not every member of the party was clean, stating that members needed to learn from their mistakes and not repeat the same errors that others had made.
"These people who are stealing while misrepresenting the organisation, even if it is your friends, we must say, 'Not in our name.' The revolution has reached a stage where we must not only tell the truth to each other, but we must be firm," Mbalula said.
He added that members couldn’t expect the party to justify their wrongdoing, saying that the ANC’s reputation was being tarnished. In July 2025, he also made similar statements, saying that the party would not protect ministers guilty of wrongdoing.
“Look at the mess we're in, especially with tenders. We need to seriously reconsider how we handle tenders as they are damaging us," he said.
Mbalula addresses Cyril Ramaphosa’s ties to Hangwani Maumela
The Secretary-General also touched on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s links to Hangwani Maumela. Maumela is at the centre of the Tembisa Hospital tender and is linked to the president because his aunt was Ramaphosa’s wife 47 years ago. Ramaphosa admitted that he met Maumela once while jogging past the tenderpreneur’s home in Gauteng.
Mbalula said it was frustrating that the president had to defend himself just because he was jogging and encountered a house belonging to someone who spoke to him.
“They are so determined to bring us down in the name of corruption; even things that can be explained, they make them seem not believable,” Mbalula stated.
Source: Getty Images
South Africans weigh in on Mbalula’s claims
Social media users weighed in on Mbalula’s claims that not everyone in the party was clean, with many saying they weren’t surprised by the admission.
@francis_nkosi asked:
“Does he know Michael Jackson’s song, ‘I’m talking to the man in the mirror?’. Maybe he's referring to it.”
@Golden02991620 stated:
“In fact, no one is clean there.”
@Nematurd said:
“He means there are actually a few who aren't dirty. But they are very few, it seems.”
@Macmorgan818 added:
“Everyone in the ANC is not clean.”
@leona_kleynhans agreed:
“I’ll try to make it easy for you. Just give us a list of the clean ones. The other list might crash the internet.”
@Ta2edGangsta asked:
“Can he name the one person who isn’t?”
@DanieRugbyNews stated:
“Fikile Mbalula has conceded that not everyone in the ANC is clean. This is the understatement of the year.”
Mbalula says ANC will stop supporting corrupt members
Briefly News reported that Mbalula has issued a warning to corrupt members of the party.
The party's Secretary-General said it would no longer support members accused of corruption.
South Africans were not impressed, with many joking that most of the cabinet must be fired.
Source: Briefly News
