WATCH | ‘I am back and fit as a fiddle’: Mbalula returns after dramatic collapse

Zuma

Johannesburg – African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has declared himself fit to return to work after collapsing during a media briefing on Thursday last week, following the Constitutional Court’s decision to overturn a ruling that had excluded 181 of the party’s candidates from the upcoming local government elections.

Mbalula attributed the incident to the emotional and physical toll of a seven-week legal battle over ballot papers in six municipalities, saying the court’s ruling brought a sudden release of the pressure he had been carrying.

He announced his return to work on Sunday in a video message recorded at the party’s headquarters at Luthuli House, saying he had rested on the instructions of ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa.

“I am back and fit as a fiddle,” Mbalula said.

“The President of the African National Congress, who is after all the boss, ordered me to bed. That order expired at six o’clock this morning. I have served my sentence, and I am back at my desk.”

Mbalula collapsed at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg shortly after the Constitutional Court ruled in the ANC’s favour in its dispute with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). The judgment cleared 181 party candidates who had been excluded from the November 4 local government elections to contest the polls.

During the briefing, Mbalula became visibly emotional and struggled to continue speaking before telling journalists: “I’m not feeling well.”

He subsequently slumped and received assistance from ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu, who took over the briefing as he received medical attention.

Reflecting on the incident, Mbalula said the legal proceedings had taken a heavy toll on him, particularly the prospect of voters in six municipalities receiving ballot papers that did not reflect their chosen political party.

“Many of you saw what happened to me in that courtroom. I had carried something heavy for seven weeks,” he said.

‘Now the ground is calling my name’

“The thought that people in six municipalities might be handed a ballot paper that did not carry the party they had chosen. That thought sat on my chest every night.”

Mbalula said the court’s ruling brought him considerable relief, prompting a physical reaction after weeks of accumulated stress.

“When the Court spoke, the weight came off all at once, and the body did what the body does. I am a human being. All of us have a limit, and there is no shame in finding yours,” he said.

He said doctors had since examined him thoroughly and confirmed that he was fit to resume his duties.

Mbalula also acknowledged the distress the incident had caused his family and supporters.

“To my family, who had the fright of their lives, and to all of you: the doctors have examined me thoroughly and I am fit as a fiddle. I have rested,” he said.

He ended his message by signalling his readiness to return to his responsibilities, saying: “Now the ground is calling my name.”

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