When news of Tony Yengeni's mysterious purchase of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle broke on Sunday March 25, the ANC's national executive committee was meeting on Gauteng's East Rand.

Yengeni's colleagues found it uncomfortable to read the revelations in his presence. Many read in corners or underneath the breakfast and lunch tables.

The issue certainly dominated informal discussions on that last day of the meeting, and many averted their gaze from the ANC Chief Whip when their eyes met. Yengeni may have had many enemies at the meeting, but none dared confront him about the allegations.

This approach paved the way for the manner in which the ANC has handled the Yengeni saga : embarrassed avoidance.

When it was called on to take leadership in Parliament by asking its Chief Whip to explain what should have been a simple purchase, the ANC instead went out of its way to strong-arm both the public accounts and the ethics committees. Believing that the party was standing by him, Yengeni became cocky. He accused those who were questioning him of trying to discredit the ANC.

But, having done so, Yengeni then cut the ANC out of his battles with the supposed enemies of the movement, instead relying solely on the expertise of his lawyers. National leaders, meanwhile, were expecting to be kept up to date on what was one of the most embarrassing episodes in the party' s years of government .

Yengeni avoided communicating with ANC secretary-general Kgalema Motlanthe. Even close friends, who were dispatched to talk to him about the controversy, met with rebuffs.

An increasingly insulated Yengeni found himself getting more legal advice than political input.

The ANC leadership was shocked to see the adverts Yengeni placed in national newspapers proclaiming his innocence. Then the ANC decided to cut him adrift . At an NEC meeting in July, clear calls were made to those facing allegations to own up to their mistakes.

By the end of the meeting, a decision had been taken to establish a national parliamentary committee, headed by Deputy President Jacob Zuma, to run the party's affairs in the national legislature. While Yengeni was still the Chief Whip, his word was no longer final. He had become dispensable.

An increasingly irritated national leadership, angry that Yengeni was not taking up the challenge to admit any mistakes, began putting pressure on him to consider vacating his Chief Whip's position for the sake of the ANC.

Yengeni either avoided ANC leaders or ignored this advice.

So, when he was arrested this week, the ANC leadership had had enough. The parliamentary committee met on Wednesday and told Yengeni: resign as Chief Whip or let ANC structures decide your political fate.

He finally got the message.

With acknowledgement to the Sunday Times and Mondli Makhanya.