Hope Ntanzi|Published
The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) has called for disciplinary action against ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe and demanded a public apology over remarks he made when questioned about allegations of sex-for-jobs practices in parts of the country's labour force.
The league said it was “deeply disturbed” by Mantashe's response to a Newsroom Afrika journalist who questioned him about allegations that a councillor in a mining town had demanded sexual favours from women seeking employment.
In a video circulating on social media, Mantashe said he did not want to be drawn into the matter, arguing that the alleged conduct was not an ANC issue.
“Don't involve me in issues of asking for a vagina. This person asked for his vagina from a person that he encountered. This can't be an ANC issue,” Mantashe said.
“If councillors, once elected, try to use their position to sleep with people, just know that the man is behaving badly and is going around sleeping with people. That's not an ANC thing,” he said.
ANCWL secretary-general Nokuthula Nqaba said the league considered Mantashe's remarks “gratuitously improper”.
“Therefore, the ANC Women's League apologises to the Newzroom journalist and calls on the Comrade Gwede Mantashe to issue a public apology to both the journalist and the public for his inappropriate remarks,” Nqaba said.
ANCWL calls for disciplinary action
The league called for Mantashe to face organisational disciplinary action over what it described as his repeated insults and attacks on women.
“We also call for him to be subjected to organisational disciplinary action -in response to his repeated insults and attacks on women and the ANCWL reject the use of his age to excuse his dishonourable conduct,” Nqaba said.
The ANCWL also called on the party's leadership to reprimand Mantashe, saying his position as an elder of the organisation should require him to set an example.
“We call on the ANC leadership to reprimand Comrade Mantashe,” Nqaba said.
The league said Mantashe was a respected leader holding national office in an organisation with “a tradition, a culture and foundational principles of respect and dignity of all”.
ANC's founding principles under scrutiny
The ANCWL said the ANC took pride in its long history and its commitment to non-sexism and equality, principles it said had been enshrined in the organisation's policies since its formation.
It also highlighted the movement's founding values, which it said were rooted in Christian principles.
“We also emphasise that the organisation's founding values were rooted in Christian principles: it was established in a church and guided by men and women of the cloth,” Nqaba said.
The league said successive generations of ANC leaders had been entrusted with upholding the organisation's moral principles.
“Each generation of leaders of the ANC since 1912 have been tasked with the responsibility to uphold revolutionary morality and observance of moral regeneration,” Nqaba said.
It added that these principles were particularly important for leaders of an organisation with a responsibility to lead society.
“These principles have always been some of the defining features for those in leadership positions, especially in an organisation which has a revolutionary task to lead society,” Nqaba said.
The ANCWL said Mantashe should use his position as an elder to offer guidance and support to women rather than subject them to language it considered morally objectionable.
Previous campaign-trail controversy
The latest criticism follows a separate controversy in September, when Mantashe faced backlash over comments during an ANC door-to-door campaign in Freedom Park, Johannesburg.
A video of the interaction showed him asking a resident whether her grandchildren received the Child Support Grant and who provided it after she confirmed that they did.
The exchange drew criticism from people who accused him of using government benefits to pressure voters into supporting the ANC ahead of the November 4 local government elections.
Mantashe rejected accusations that his comments amounted to vote-buying, defending the ANC's record on social grants and housing and arguing that highlighting the government's policies was not an attempt to buy votes.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
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