Panyaza Lesufi unleashed a political firestorm in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Friday, publicly pressuring president Cyril Ramaphosa to purge more ministers from his cabinet and warning that corruption inside the government of national unity would not be tolerated, regardless of party affiliation.
In a blistering address that sent shockwaves through the chamber, the Gauteng premier and ANC provincial chairperson took direct aim at Communications Minister Solly Malatsi and Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, accusing them of misconduct, hypocrisy and undermining the state from within.
Without naming them directly, Lesufi accused one minister of allegedly using artificial intelligence to draft the country’s AI policy and another of presiding over a questionable textbook tender involving a company allegedly formed just days before the bidding process closed.
His message to Ramaphosa was blunt: if one minister can be fired over controversy, then no one in cabinet should be untouchable.
The dramatic intervention comes just days after Ramaphosa acted against Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe, a move Lesufi praised before demanding that the president go further.
“Let me take this opportunity to thank you, president, for intervening with the minister of social development, but we want to urge you: don’t stop there, president. Don’t stop there, president,” Lesufi declared as ANC members thumped desks in support.
The premier, long regarded as one of the ANC’s most outspoken and combative leaders, launched his fiercest criticism at Malatsi, accusing the communications minister of embarrassing the country by allegedly relying on AI to formulate a national policy framework on artificial intelligence.
“There is a certain minister, president, whom the country assigned the task of developing an AI policy, but he used AI to develop a policy for the country. Then they have the audacity to come here,” Lesufi said, drawing audible reactions from MPs inside the chamber.
He escalated his attack further by accusing the same minister of attempting to weaken South Africa’s broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE) laws to benefit foreign interests.
“He wants to sell the security of our country by trying to scrap BEE so that their friends in America can come and invest here. We say no, president. We say no. Our country is not for sale, and the policies of this country will be defended at all costs, whatever it takes,” Lesufi charged.
Although Lesufi avoided mentioning Malatsi by name, his remarks were widely interpreted as a direct attack on the DA minister, whose views on BEE and foreign investment have frequently placed him at odds with ANC leaders.
Lesufi then shifted his focus to Gwarube, accusing the basic education ministry of allowing what he described as a deeply suspicious tender process linked to the printing of school textbooks.
“There is another minister in the basic education sector who thinks they can allow a company that was established three days before the tender closing date to secure a tender to print books for our children. We must not allow that, president, and we have to be firm against any form of corruption,” he said.
The Gauteng premier reserved some of his strongest words for political parties that campaign on anti-corruption platforms while allegedly engaging in corruption once inside government.
“These are the same people who are saying this government is corrupt. They come into government and instead of assisting us to fight corruption, they commit corruption themselves. We will not allow that,” he said.
In what appeared to be a direct warning to Democratic Alliance ministers serving in the government of national unity, Lesufi reminded Parliament that Ramaphosa had the authority to dismiss ministers who failed to uphold ethical standards.
“They must know we have a president who is decisive. We have a president who can intervene, and we have a president who can fire them if they misbehave,” he said.
Beyond the attacks on his GNU partners, Lesufi also entered the heated national debate over undocumented foreign nationals, an issue that has fuelled protests and community tensions across parts of the country.
While insisting that South Africa should not be hostile towards foreign nationals in general, he said undocumented immigrants who entered the country illegally should leave through lawful processes.
“We refuse to be against all foreign citizens, but we agree that undocumented foreigners who entered our country illegally must leave our country peacefully,” he said.
Lesufi urged Ramaphosa to take a stronger public stance on immigration and ensure that the proposed immigration bill currently undergoing public participation becomes the definitive legal framework to address illegal immigration.
“President, you can’t tolerate people when we don’t know how they came into our country, what they need in our country, what they are doing in our country, and where they stay in our country,” Lesufi said.
“We urge you to enter the debate and allow us to ensure the new immigration laws and the immigration bill that is currently in the public participation phase are utilised as the final document to resolve this matter once and for all.”
Addressing growing public calls for undocumented immigrants to leave South Africa by 30 June, Lesufi stressed that any removals must happen lawfully and without vigilantism.
“Those who have given foreigners until 30 June to leave our country, we want to emphasise that this must be done in an orderly manner and through the processes of the law in our country,” he said.
Lesufi’s explosive speech is likely to deepen tensions inside the fragile government of national unity, where relations between the ANC and DA have become increasingly strained over policy disagreements, governance disputes and accusations of political sabotage.
With Lesufi now openly calling for action against DA ministers from the floor of Parliament, the speech may signal a more confrontational phase in the uneasy coalition governing South Africa
