Tony Yengeni.
ANC general secretary Fikile Mbalula has cracked down on indiscipline within the party and launched charges against Jacob Zuma supporter Tony Yengeni for damaging the party's reputation.
Mr Mbalula also sued Obed Bapela, a member of the national executive committee and deputy minister of police, over a visit to Morocco last year that violated ANC policy.
He announced the disciplinary action at a press conference in Cape Town on Monday ahead of the ANC's 113th anniversary celebrations. The ANC's 113th anniversary celebrations will culminate on Saturday with President Cyril Ramaphosa's address at the commemoration ceremony on 8 January.
The ANC uses this annual event to highlight its internal and external policy priorities and programs for the year ahead.
In response to questions, Mr Mbalula said he had informed Mr Yengeni, a former member of the ANC national executive committee, that he intended to sue him over online comments that brought the party into disrepute.
Mbalula described Yengeni, who was jailed in 2006 for lying to parliament over luxury cars he received from a defense contractor, as a “political Casanova” who “thinks he is the law”.
He said Mr Yengeni was “spouting the political views of a vagrant supported by a small group of disaffected elements opposed to the ANC”.
“He will be prosecuted. I called him. I told him via SMS that I was going to press charges,” Mbalula said. “We will hand him over to the ANC's disciplinary committee.”
Yengeni is a “very undisciplined ANC member” who “supports everything about the Umkhonto Wisizwe party”.
Mr Mbalula was accused of a number of statements that contradicted the ANC's policies and damaged its reputation, and said action would also be taken against other erring party members.
“Discipline in the ANC is important. Every day we see ANC leaders on Twitter tweeting things that bring others into disrepute. Sho.”
“There is nothing wrong with elevating opinions other than to attack the organization and cast blame on the ANC leadership and that is unacceptable,” Mbalula said.
“They will be taken to book. They will be punished.”
The national ANC notes that some state leaders, despite being responsible for instilling order, have decided to ignore violations of discipline and, failing that, to intervene. I recognized it.
“Gone are the days when people who bring the organization into disrepute were discussed rather than disciplined,” he said.
Mr Bapela was to be charged with “distorting ANC policy” in connection with his trip to Morocco, and he had been informed about it.
Mr Mbalula said the only item on the agenda of Monday night's National Executive Committee meeting was the adoption of the January 8 statement, which was processed by party executives on Sunday.
The January 8 rally was held in a marquee at Mandela Park in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, the ANC's stronghold, to “get the message across” that the party wants to “reunite with the people” in the Western Cape and elsewhere. It turns out.
Mr Mbalula said the committee had “committed” to the South African Communist Party that it “reflected” on its decision to contest the elections alone and would explain its decision to the ANC leadership.
He said the ANC was opposed to the party acting alone and that this would further weaken the alliance and would be a “disaster” from the party's perspective.
But they will be involved internally rather than in the media, Mbalula said.
Yengeni did not respond to calls from . email and guardian.
