By VOICE REPORTER
ANC dik ding Fikile Mbalula made a splash on social media with his lavish lifestyle, while the party sit with a bek vol tande.
Secretary-General Mbalula rocked up at a recent party event skutting on Robben Island in a luxurious yacht.
This apparent extravagant entrance took place on Wednesday ahead of the ANC's 113th anniversary celebrations in Khayelitsha, which were held on Saturday.
According to news reports, Mbalula's yacht arrival stunned fellow ANC leaders and observers alike during an event that was meant to reflect on the painful history of the party's members who had been incarcerated during the apartheid era.
Other ANC leaders used the Robben Island Museum ferry, Sikhululekile, while President Cyril Ramaphosa was choppered onto the island for security reasons.
The solemn commemoration aimed to honour the political prisoners who spent years on the island was quickly overshadowed.
The yacht in question reportedly belongs to tenderpreneur Fernando Acafrao, a businessman who has secured multiple multimillion-rand government contracts.
This is not the first instance of Mbalula facing backlash for his extravagant lifestyle. Previously, he attracted criticism for campaigning in a R4 million bulletproof G-Wagon in Amaoti, an area rife with shanties, as South Africans questioned his brekgat ways.
One social media user, Vusi Sambo, expressed his frustration, stating: “ANC celebrity Fikile Mbalula—who is known for his shameless love for showing off luxury and opulence — snubbed a Robben Island Museum ferry, Sikhululekile, that transported other top ANC leaders, media, and guests.”
Mbalula appeared min gespin, dismissing the criticism as a “side show”, suggesting that no one should be judged by their mode of transport and urging the public to focus on substantive political issues instead.