Phosa Calls Malema Expulsion a Historic Mistake

Former ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa says the party's 2012 expulsion of Julius Malema was a historic error.

Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Political Parties

Phosa Calls Malema Expulsion a Historic Mistake

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Mathews Phosa, a former ANC treasurer-general and former premier of Mpumalanga, said the party's 2012 expulsion of Julius Malema was a historic mistake. No ANC spokesperson had issued a rebuttal within hours of the remarks circulating.

Why it matters

The comments revisit one of the most consequential internal disputes in the ANC's recent history, since Malema went on to found the Economic Freedom Fighters in 2013. The party's silence on the remarks leaves open how it intends to address the question of Malema's removal.

The ANC expelled Malema in 2012 and he founded the Economic Freedom Fighters in 2013, which now holds the third-largest bloc in Parliament. Whether the party will formally revisit the expulsion has not been established.

The players

Mathews Phosa

Mathews Phosa is a former ANC treasurer-general and former premier of Mpumalanga who has now publicly questioned the party's handling of Malema's expulsion.

Julius Malema

Julius Malema is a former ANC Youth League leader who was expelled from the party in 2012 and later founded the Economic Freedom Fighters.

Economic Freedom Fighters

The Economic Freedom Fighters is a political party founded by Julius Malema in 2013 that is now Parliament's third-largest bloc.

African National Congress

The African National Congress is South Africa's governing party, which expelled Julius Malema in 2012.

The details

Phosa made the statement at a closed-door ANC dialogue and at a gathering of party veterans. The expulsion followed Malema's public defiance of then-president Jacob Zuma's authority and his calls for regime change in Botswana. National Executive Committee members either declined to comment or referred queries to the party's communications desk, which had not responded to requests for clarity by publication.

2012: The ANC expelled Julius Malema from party membership.
2013: Malema founded the Economic Freedom Fighters.
5 November 2026: Phosa made the remarks on Thursday.

Political Context

The 2012 expulsion of Julius Malema from the ANC is the precedent against which Phosa's remarks now stand. Malema's subsequent founding of the Economic Freedom Fighters in 2013 shows how the dispute shaped the opposition landscape that followed.

For South African voters, the dispute shapes which parties hold seats in Parliament and how the ANC's internal discipline is perceived. Readers following coalition or opposition politics may see the remarks as a signal about the party's direction ahead of future contests.

The takeaway

Phosa's comments show that the 2012 expulsion of Malema remains a live question inside the ANC, and that the party's response to it is still open. Readers should watch whether the ANC formally addresses the remarks or continues to leave them unanswered.