Cape Town – ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula has defended party veteran Naledi Pandor after her remarks that the ANC has lost “its glory”.
At the centenary event honoring the late ANC Women’s League icon Gertrude Shope on Sunday, Pandor remarked that many South Africans now regard the ANC with “disdain, horror and shame.”
“There is nothing worse in an organisation or in a country than a leader who has no solution,” Pandor said.
“We can’t be asking someone else, ‘how do we solve this?’ The people are looking to us to resolve it.”
Dr. Naledi Pandor (ANC Veteran):
There’s nothing worse in an organisation, or in a country, than a leader who has no solution.
We can’t be asking someone else, how do we solve this?
The people are looking to us to resolve it. pic.twitter.com/nwQDy10Ico
— Izwe Lethu (@LandNoli) August 25, 2025
Pandor condemned the current leadership, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, for their lack of decisive solutions and for letting the party’s core values deteriorate.
“She [Shope] knew of the corruption that has dragged down the revolutionary morality of our leaders,” Pandor said.
Speaking at Luthuli House on Tuesday, Mbalula said Pandor spoke appropriately at a veterans’ event and reinforced ANC values, dismissing calls for her to face disciplinary action.
Mbalula contrasted Pandor’s constructive critique with disparaging remarks from former ministers Malusi Gigaba and Senzo Mchunu, announcing that disciplinary action will be pursued against them.
[WATCH] What Comrade Naledi Pandor was saying was that we must stay true to Mama Gertrude Shope. She spoke on what the ANC stands for, and all other leaders of the ANC must reinforce the message of the ANC. #ThePeoplesMovement pic.twitter.com/MTA14oWMC4
— ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | Fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) August 26, 2025
“She said all the right things about the ANC as a veteran, and I am proud of her,” Mbalula said.
“She spoke like a veteran, at an ANC veteran event. There’s nothing wrong with what she said.”
He added: “She was reinforcing ANC policy on a public platform, talking about the values expected of ANC members,” he said.
“She couldn’t have said anything other than what she said at that event honouring (struggle stalwart) uMama Gertrude Shope.”
Follow African Insider on Facebook, X and Instagram
Picture: X/@MbalulaFikile
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
