The ANC Women’s League demanded a public apology and disciplinary action against ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe after he used explicit anatomical language while dismissing allegations of sex-for-jobs exploitation during a media interview in North West.
The Media Interview and the Remarks That Sparked an Outcry
The controversy stems from a televised exchange on Newzroom Afrika where a journalist questioned Gwede Mantashe about reports that a municipal councillor in a mining town had demanded sexual favours from women seeking employment. Rather than addressing the systemic nature of the allegations, Mantashe sought to distance the governing party entirely from the behavior.
ANCWL Demands Disciplinary Action Against Gwede Mantashe Following 'Derogatory' Media RemarksThe African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) has officially called for internal disciplinary action and a public apology from ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe following… pic.twitter.com/mFpxzvu7b6
Don’t involve me in issues of asking for isibumbu. This person asked for isibumbu from a person that he encountered. This can’t be an ANC issue.
Gwede Mantashe, ANC national chairperson
In the widely circulated video, Mantashe maintained that individual misconduct by elected officials reflects poorly only on the person involved. He added that when councillors try to use their positions to sleep with constituents, it signifies a man behaving badly rather than an institutional failure of the party. He also maintained that if individuals choose to sleep with people once elected, that represents individual bad conduct rather than an official party matter.
The ANC Women’s League Demands Accountability and a Public Apology
The African National Congress Women’s League responded swiftly, declaring the remarks deeply disturbing and gratuitously improper.
The ANC Women’s League apologises to the Newzroom journalist and calls on comrade Gwede Mantashe to issue a public apology to both the journalist and the public for his inappropriate remarks.
Nokuthula Nqaba, ANCWL secretary-general
Nqaba argued that his advanced age should not be used as an excuse for dishonourable behaviour, stressing that as an elder holding national office in an organisation built on respect and dignity, he has a duty to act responsibly and offer wisdom and counsel. She formally called on the ANC leadership to reprimand him.
The women’s league emphasized that successive generations of leaders since 1912 have been tasked with upholding revolutionary morality and moral regeneration, particularly within a movement rooted in foundational principles of non-sexism, equality, and human dignity.
Prior Campaign Controversies
This friction follows an earlier episode in September when Mantashe faced backlash over remarks made during an ANC door-to-door campaign in Freedom Park, Johannesburg. That controversy involved accusations that his comments amounted to vote-buying, which he rejected while defending the ANC’s record on social grants and housing.
