South Africa's ANC accuses the US of plotting a regime change

US diplomats have been accused by South Africa’s ruling party ANC of grooming young people to overthrow the government.

ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said in a political rally in Pretoria last Friday that US embassy has been recruiting and sending young people to the US for training.

“We are aware of the meetings taking place regularly at the American embassy. Those meetings in the American embassy are about nothing else other than mobilization for regime change,” he said.

U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard took to Twitter to refute the allegations

It's called Mandela Washington Fellowship.Hundreds of brilliant young South Africans have been in. It ain't a secret https://t.co/cGe66JPE7S

— Ambassador Gaspard (@patrickgaspard) February 19, 2016

I knew there was something suspicious about that tin can with the string attached in my last mtg. So sophisticated. https://t.co/SAO6yj3jSY

— Ambassador Gaspard (@patrickgaspard) February 19, 2016

However, analysts say this could just be the party’s way of deflecting attention from its own troubles ahead of local elections scheduled for later this year.