Amid allegations of factional politicking, Premier Panyaza Lesufi has been accused of acting outside of the instructions of the national party structure by organising a vote of no confidence against the DA mayor of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Cilliers Brink.

After the DA attempted to get rid of its smaller coalition partners by exchanging ANC support for a minority DA government in Tshwane for a minority ANC government in Ekurhuleni, the Gauteng branch of the party rejected the deal, and used it as leverage to get Action SA, one of the DA's coalition partners in Tshwane, to support a vote of no confidence and remove the DA from power.

Having little leverage at the national level, given their existential commitment to the GNU, the DA and other minority representatives have turned to other tactics to raise the pressure to get back in the driving seat in the nation's capital.

They have communicated in public by focusing on the narrative that Panyaza Lesufi and Paul Mashatile constitute a major rebel faction in the party, while upholding the importance and validity of the GNU and the ANC's internal hierarchy. The two main factions are broadly recognised by independent observers and analysts.

Last weekend Helen Zille allegedly wrote the following letter to her counterpart in the ANC, which was shared on social media:

"The DA will now withdraw from these talks. The ANC must accept responsibility for the ongoing chronic instability [...] The return of Cilliers Brink as the Executive Mayor of Tshwane is a non-negotiable condition for these talks to resume. [...] It is very unfortunate that the substantial progress we have made has been undone by the obduracy of your Gauteng leadership under Premier Panyaza Lesufi. Until the ANC's national leadership re-asserts its authority in Gauteng, the Metros in our most populous province will continue to disintegrate, with profoundly negative economic consequences."

The alleged response from Fikile Mbalula was as follows:

"I have observed with concern your public utterances with regards matters pertaining the GNU and the coalitions in local municipalities, following the National and Provincial Elections. These public utterances that you have made clearly go against the resolutions made by the National Executive Committee.

You would recall that the NEC elaborately discussed the aftermath of the unfavourable electoral outcome which henceforth was characterised as a significant and strategic setback. And that mindful of the pitfalls of the various options that availed, the NEC ultimately resolved on the GNU as the most viable option.

In contrast, your public articulations seem to argue in contradiction to the NEC resolution in this regard, thereby bringing the ANC into public disrepute. Ordinarily, any organisation that fails to observe the basic tenet of organisation with respect to the principle of democratic centralism naturally invites such public disrepute and ridicule of its leadership.

You are accordingly requested to present an explanation to the National Officials, on why your public utterances should not be considered to be not only in violation of the principle of democratic centralism, but that this inevitably violates the ANC Constitution, with the consideration that all NEC decisions are binding to all lower structures.

You are therefore requested to make this presentation as outlined above tomorrow on Monday 07 October 2024 at the Chief Albert Luthuli House, 10th floor at 10h00."

It is unclear what was discussed yesterday at this meeting, though what followed was a two-pronged attack from both AfriForum and the DA, which consistently framed Lesufi as a rebel against his own party. On social media, Zille shared a post by a well-known pseudonymous DA supporter known as Goolam, which used this exact frame - that the ANC is split, and Lesufi is rebelling against his superiors in collusion with Action SA.

The DA launched the first public attack this week when party member Martin Nel posted a video on social media filmed on location at a major housing development funded by the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements in Middellei, Randfontein.

"Behind me is the Montrose Megacity project. It was facilitated by Premier Panyaza Lesufi, Lebogang Maile, who was the MEC at the stage it was initiated - the MEC for Human Settlements. Together with the Alex Mafia, they have put in R11 billion worth of taxpayer money which has been looted. Panyaza Lesufi, Paul Mashatile, they want to dethrone Cyril Ramaphosa as the president of the ANC. Panyaza Lesufi has got his own faction of the ANC. And this is what the taxpayer [has] left after R11 billion has been spent. You can see there [are] trucks, people here with sledgehammers, they are taking the place apart piece by piece, selling bricks for R400 for a bundle of 500, selling the steel and the pre-stressed floors, which they are hammering out for R30 for a few pieces. [...] This is what has happened to your R11 billion of taxpayer money."

The project was initially intended to be given to 174 military veterans and other welfare beneficiaries, but was never completed. Earlier this year, illegal occupants in the housing shells were chased out by an armed force claiming to be military veterans, who  demanded completion of the project and allocation of housing.

But as Nel demonstrated, the site is now abandoned, and is simply being stripped for raw materials.

Lesufi has been also been embroiled in allegations of a large-scale cover-up involving corruption, money laundering, and fraud within the province’s Department of Social Development (DSD).

In a public statement from AfriForum's legal team it was asserted that a whistleblower had approached the civic organisation to address the scandal, said to have cost the provincial government hundreds of millions of rand intended for non-governmental organisations supporting vulnerable communities.

According to forensic reports, funds meant for foodbanks, school uniforms, and dignity packs were misappropriated, with DSD officials allegedly involved in crimes ranging from fraud to money laundering. Although 13 officials were suspended between September 2023 and early 2024, their suspensions were subsequently lifted, allowing them to return to work.

The whistleblower claims Lesufi had access to these reports but, rather than taking action, appointed a law firm to review and exonerate the implicated officials. He is also accused of terminating the mandate of the firm tasked with conducting disciplinary hearings.

Advocate Gerrie Nel, head of AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit, has written to Lesufi, alleging that this behaviour amounts to a deliberate attempt to conceal the crimes and shield the officials involved. Nel pointed to the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, which compels the premier to report such offences and assist in investigations. The failure to act, Nel argued, could be seen as an obstruction of justice and misuse of public funds.

Lesufi, after briefly panicking and deleting his social media account, came back in the morning of the 8th to complain of a discrepancy between AfriForum's public statement and the letter he got from their lawyers, the section of which he shared read as follows:

"We act on behalf of a whistleblower. We are confident that the information shared is factual and verifiable. The truth of it lies in forensic reports and other communication already in your possession. We are assured that you are au fait with all the allegations that were shared with us and understand that the findings of forensic investigation reports were discussed with you in person. The purpose of this letter is not only to ensure that criminal and disciplinary matters are dealt with without fear and favour but also to expose those who deliberately fail in their duties and instead seek to protect individuals from prosecution and/or disciplinary action for personal and political reasons. We have become accustomed to the Government's sleight-of-hand when dealing with corruption allegations. It is quick to order an investigation thereby"

It is unclear what contradiction Premier Lesufi aimed to expose by this publication, though it is possible he had not read the contents for meaning.

Barry Bateman, spokesperson for the prosecution unit, questioned why a premier who professes a commitment to clean governance would obstruct efforts to tackle corruption. He warned that Lesufi may be acting to protect high-level beneficiaries of the scheme, noting that when lower-level operatives are implicated, they could expose their enablers.

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