Ramaphosa irked as ANC Youth League wars steal G20 limelight

President asks Mbalula to keep the youth leaders out of the news

- By Queenin Masuabi and Mawande AmaShabalala

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday called ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula to stop ANC Youth League (ANCYL) leaders from stealing the limelight from him in the midst of a global mega event taking place in the country.

This as Mbalula had summoned the ANC kindergarten over their factional wars about whether or not to proceed with the special congress next month.

The meeting happened as headlines over the suspension of ANCYL president Collen Malatji by his secretary-general, Mntuwoxolo Ngudle, hogged the headlines.

Sunday World can reveal that Ramaphosa did not like this and on Friday morning phoned Mbalula who was to meet the ANCYL national executive committee.

"The SG (Mbalula) said president Ramaphosa was concerned that ANC members were preoccupied with the youth league's discord instead of focusing on the G20 Summit," said a well-placed source who was at the meeting.

Another person who attended the same meeting confirmed, "Yes, the SG relayed the president's message saying the Ramza was asking what's going on; he's seeing the youth league all over the news, causing chaos and trending for the wrong reasons when we are hosting international visitors and called for a truce and sanity to be restored."

When Mbalula managed to have the warring parties drinking from the same cup, young lions' money man Zwelo Masilela is said to have proposed a press conference as a show of unity on Saturday, which Mbalula sternly shot down, saying only the G20 must be on the news.

Ramaphosa and Mbalula's rebuke comes as factional battles within the league continue to dominate the news cycle, prompting frustration within the party's top leadership.