ANC Thabo Mofutsanyana Defends Fikile Mbalula, Troth Action against Councillor Setshwana Chabeli

The ANC Thabo Mofutsanyana Region has weighed its full support behind ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula while committing strong disciplinary action against PR Councillor Setshwana Chabeli.

This is after a heated social media flare-up by Chabeli, who lambasted Mbalula after the Andrew Mokete Mlangeni Memorial Lecture held on 21 June 2025 in Bethlehem, Free State.

The ANC regional Secretary Jeff Mohapi and leadership , have condemned Chabeli’s remarks as disrespectful and against ANC values, promising to tackle the issue head-on using the party’s rules and social media policy.

Chabeli who is a PR councillor and MPAC chairperson in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District, took to social media to call Mbalula a “Staunch factionalist” with the ambition to become the next President. This delineation follows reports that many ANC branches in the district, along with Free State Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae, have endorsed Mbalula for the ANC presidency at the upcoming national conference in 2027.