Lesufi ‘deactivates’ X account after being summoned to Luthuli House

African National Congress (ANC) chairperson and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi appears to have deactivated his X (formally Twitter) account.

A search for @Lesufi on X showed no results of the account. Lesufi had more than 500 000 followers on the platform.

No reason has been given yet for why Lesufi may have deactivated his account. However, his account closed soon after he was summoned to Luthuli House over his perceived criticism of the government of national unity (GNU).

Butting heads with Zille

This came after a bitter spat with DA federal chair Helen Zille.

Zille and Lesufi butted heads over the removal of Cilliers Brink as Tshwane mayor last week

Brink was removed in a motion of no confidence vote on Thursday last week.

Zille then issued an ultimatum to the ANC to either bring Brink back or risk the DA not entering into talks with the ANC in other metros.

ALSO READ: Zille warns ANC to bring Cilliers Brink back as Tshwane mayor or else…

Lesufi hits back

Lesufi has hit back at Zille’s claims, telling her there are no two ANCs.

“Gogo Helen Zille, the decision to support the motion of no confidence was taken by the national working committee of the ANC, and no amount of propaganda and misuse of media houses will change that narrative,” said Lesufi.

“The decision not to incorporate the DA into the Gauteng government of provincial unity was also taken by the national leadership of the ANC; the sooner you accept this reality, the sooner the healing process will begin. Call us names like rogue as you wish; the reality is the ANC will never be a branch of the DA.

“Oksalayo, you will never dictate terms to us members of the ANC. Never! You can bring all your media friends and media houses; the ANC is not for sale. The ANC is one. There’s no provincial ANC nor local ANC; we are one ANC, not a federal movement.”

Lesufi summoned by Mbalula

On Monday, an attempt to charge Lesufi with bringing the party into disrepute was abandoned.

Lesufi was summoned to Luthuli House by ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, who accused the premier of being critical of the GNU.

However, Lesufi presented the ANC top seven with “facts” and disarmed Mbalula.

According to News24, those close to the matter said the meeting went horribly wrong for Mbalula and party bosses declared it a waste of time because there was no case against Lesufi.

The saga comes after Mbalula in the letter, dated 6 October and seen by The Citizen, told Lesufi that he had “observed with concern your public utterances with matters pertaining to the GNU and the coalitions in local municipalities”.

Mbalula said the “public utterances go against the resolutions made by the national executive committee (NEC)”.

“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 [that the] GNU [was] the most viable option.

‘Bringing the ANC into disrepute’

“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,” Mbalula wrote.

Mbalula than requested Lesufi present an explanation to the national official 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”.

Additional reporting by Vhahangwele Nemakonde

ALSO READ: You will never dictate terms to ANC members, Lesufi tells Zille