The web Fikile Mbalula weaves

In the past fortnight, Fikile Mbalula's ambitions have been put to the test as his competence has come under scrutiny. The ANC secretary-general has been struggling to keep up with the upcoming municipal elections. Mbalula first failed to register numerous ANC candidates by the deadline, and later, the Electoral Court dismissed his claim of a "technical glitch" for their reinstatement.

A default judgment of nearly R1 million has been awarded against the ANC for non-payment of cleaning contracts to Luthuli House. Additionally, Mbalula is now embroiled in a defamation lawsuit against former ally Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. This lawsuit is particularly ill-timed, as it brings the ANC's history of money-for-votes practices to the forefront and potentially implicates President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Dlamini-Zuma's claims allege that Mbalula and Ramaphosa exchanged money during the 2022 leadership conference to secure votes, a practice Mbalula denies. Dlamini-Zuma has provided an affidavit from a delegate who claims to have witnessed Mbalula distributing cash to delegates, further complicating the situation. The ANC has a well-documented history of vote-buying, with Mbalula admitting to intercepting R2.5 million in notes intended to buy delegates' votes in December 2017.

However, his loyalty to Ramaphosa led him to switch sides after Ramaphosa's election. ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe has made matters worse with his damaging remarks about the money spent to secure Ramaphosa's re-election. Mantashe admitted that Ramaphosa faced trouble in the previous campaign and that the use of money became widespread in 2022.

This lawsuit against Mbalula exposes a fragile and damaging thread in the ANC's reputation, potentially implicating both Mbalula and Ramaphosa in past wrongdoings.