Facebook rant backfires: ANC Gauteng orders member to publicly apologise for ’embarrassing’ party

The ANC in Gauteng has instructed a branch leader to apologise for comments made on Facebook.

• The ANC branch chairperson in Ekurhuleni criticised the ANC Gauteng for its decision to work with the EFF to take over hung municipalities in the province. 
• He was charged with contravening the ANC constitution for his Facebook rant and was ordered to appear before a disciplinary hearing. 
• The member pleaded guilty and has been ordered to use the same Facebook page to apologise to the party. 

An ANC branch chairperson in Ekurhuleni has been ordered by the party’s provincial disciplinary committee to publicly apologise on Facebook for questioning the ANC Gauteng’s political partnership with the EFF to take over several municipalities. 

Andrew Baloyi faced a disciplinary hearing by the ANC provincial disciplinary committee after he was charged with contravening the party’s constitution in a Facebook post which accused Gauteng ANC leaders of plotting to remove President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The ANC Gauteng said Baloyi, a branch chairperson from Kempton Park, had “embarrassed” the party nationally and internationally when he accused the province of plotting with the EFF. 

Baloyi shared a lengthy Facebook post in February in which he questioned the ANC Gauteng leadership’s decision to partner with the EFF in a power-sharing deal in the province. 

The two parties have successfully toppled DA-elected mayors and council speakers in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and the West Rand.

Baloyi faced a hearing in May and pleaded guilty after having first indicated to News24 that he planned to fight the charges against him. 

The ANC Gauteng said in a statement on Thursday that Baloyi had shown remorse during the hearing and pleaded guilty. 

READ | ANC official in Gauteng risks being stripped from membership for questioning ‘toxic’ EFF alliance

The provincial disciplinary committee ordered him to apologise on Facebook for his comments. 

“As a branch chairperson, Andrew spearheads the organisational renewal programme. The ANC communications protocol is further at the forefront of the renewal process, as it seeks to regulate the conduct of members on social media platforms, among other conduct relating to the use of public communications platforms by members. 

“In the light of the guilty plea and remorse shown and expressed, the provincial disciplinary committee found it prudent to make the following sanctions against Andrew: That he makes an unequivocal public apology for the harm caused to the ANC by his conduct of publishing the statement. He must make an unequivocal retraction of the statement and use the same Facebook page [he used for the infraction] to issue an apology and retraction of the statement,” the committee said. 

READ | ANC and EFF marriage on the rocks as Ekurhuleni honeymoon period over

Baloyi has also been instructed to attend ANC political and media education workshops. 

He had faced the likelihood of his membership being terminated. 

The sanctions were awarded based on the condition that he is not found guilty of breaching the ANC constitution in the next two years. 

The ANC said Baloyi’s hearing served as a reminder to members that ill-discipline would not be tolerated. 

“The unity of the ANC is sacrosanct, but that must never be viewed as an indictment to sacrifice the ANC’s values on the altar to achieve that unity.  

“To this end, the provincial disciplinary committee has committed that wherever … ill-discipline rears its ugly head, it shall be addressed consistently, across the board, without fear or favour,” the party said.