Johannesburg - This week’s ANC Youth League (ANCYL) congress should be the culmination of efforts to rebuild the league’s organisational machinery and political and ideological orientation to restore confidence in so it can continue to attract young people to the ANC’s ranks.
This after the leadership was disbanded by the ANC two years ago for, by its own admission, creating a “political vacuum in youth politics” as a result of “political and organisational decay”.
But it remains to be seen if the league is on track to regain its autonomy and inspire confidence of its capabilities to manage its own affairs and influence key policy discussions in the country. A discussion document, Repositioning the ANCYL for the Future, was released by the league this week.
The paper suggests tensions have often mounted between the league and the mother body on political perspective or strategy and tactics, despite these being healthy and part of the evolution of the movement.
But some in the ANCYL believe the ANC will always exert undue influence on the youth body as the “inherent nature of politics”, which is access to state resources, patronage and power, takes hold in the league.
This week former youth league national task team member, Bandile Masuku, said young leaders who did not have money for lobbying would not win leadership contests in the ANCYL.
“There was a time when it was about politics, about ideological posture and the direction of the ANC,” Masuku said.
“It’s all about patronage, money and power to give patronage… The issue is we need to have this kind of conversation so the ANC gets a wake-up call, because the danger of our discussions, even at the NGC (national general council) is that we are not alive to the reality of the party’s degeneration and the decline of electoral support.”
Youth league Western Cape chairman Khalid Sayed said contestation at next week’s congress should be approached on the basis of who best had the capacity to lead its members.
But he admitted there were “tendencies” of certain individuals in the ANC utilising the congress for their own “selfish gains”, adding this could not, however, be directed at only on one faction in the league.
The discussion paper attempts to draw the line where the league’s “organisational autonomy” ends and ANC discipline begins.
In the document, organisational autonomy is narrowly limited to the administration of the league’s own finances, election of leaders and its own programme of action – but all under the political line and discipline of the ANC.
“The autonomy of the ANCYL… does have bounds; it does not extend to political autonomy or independence,” the document reads.
However, it guarantees the ANC will not try to curtail the youth wing’s quest for “new and more militant ideas” – but it expects it to exercise this by also listening to the “wise counsel of the ANC”.
Convenor of the league’s national task team and ANC NEC member Fikile Mbalula said the conference would deal with the “infantile disorder” that plunged the league into the mess that led to its disbandment”.
“We are decisively launching a sustained assault on (this). We must, with the same ferocity and brutality, deal with all types of factionalism afflicting the ANC as these ills are prohibitive and degenerative to the organic unity and sustenance of the movement.”
His comments come as the congress’s discussion document grapples with, among others, the effects of the league being used by factions in the mother body, specifically before the party’s 2007 national conference in Polokwane, when the league supported Jacob Zuma in his bid to oust the then-president Thabo Mbeki.
The paper describes the league’s reputation as “kingmakers” as “ahistorical” and a “distortion of the ANCYL’s rich history”.
“This conception confined (the league’s) role to ANC leadership elections and bred arrogance and ill-discipline that began to characterise the organisation in later years,” it reads.
Besides the rebuilding of the league organisationally, the congress must also provide a plan for mobilising, organising and educating the youth into a “disciplined revolutionary (and) democratic force; re-establish its influence in society and define the role of the youth during the ANC’s second phase of the transition”.
“Rebuilding the ANCYL must be about repositioning it at the very centre of youth struggles… Accordingly, (this) is an urgent political and organisational priority for the ANC as a whole, and not only for the youth of the ANC,” the paper reads.
“This requires that youth league leaders singularly focus on the ANCYL itself, with leaders expected to put in abeyance ambitions to lead the ANC or hold public office,” the paper suggests.
Contenders for the ANCYL’s top posts
Contenders for president
Collen Maine
Maine is North West MEC for Local Government and Human Settlements. He is believed to have the support of North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo, Free State Premier Ace Magashule and Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza.
He also has the majority of support from youth league structures in those provinces as well as Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal. He is provincial chairman of the league in the North West, and was a convener of the national task team in that province.
He is criticised by some for having little interest in policy, however.
Conflicting reports also emerged this week as to whether he enjoys the support in Gauteng.
Pule Mabe
Mabe is an ANC national executive committee member and Member of Parliament. He was the front runner for the position of youth league president before its aborted national congress at the end of last year – at the last minute, the congress was made a consultative, rather than elective, conference.
Those who support him contend that he has already amassed wealth, and is strong enough to withstand pressure from the ANC mother body to re-establish the league’s autonomy. There is some support for Mabe in Gauteng, “marginal support” in the Eastern Cape and Free State, and pockets of support among individual branches elsewhere.
Ronald Lamola
Lamola was deputy president under expelled former youth league president Julius Malema. He is a practising lawyer from Mpumalanga and is viewed as having a firm grasp on legal matters relating to the league.
He is seen as principled in the wake of Malema’s expulsion, experienced and able to build structures, which can contest growing support for Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters. He has support in the Eastern Cape, some support in the Western Cape, and pockets in other regions.
Lesego Makhubela
Makhubela is viewed as the dark horse in the race for the position of president. At 28 years of age, the Tshwane league chairman is the only presidential candidate under 30. He was a Fulbright scholar and has the support of sections of Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.
He is viewed as popular in Gauteng, parts of KwaZulu-Natal, and purportedly in the Eastern Cape, with dicey support in Limpopo.
Deputy president
A compromise candidate for this position could still emerge. Some youth league members have suggested there are talks between the Mabe and Lamola camp, through which Lamola could serve as Mabe’s deputy.
A few candidates – such as Desmond Moela and Kenny Morolong – have, however, emerged.
Moela is from Mpumalanga and is apparently on Maine’s slate. His support mirrors that of Maine.
Morolong is from the North West and previously served on youth league and student movement structures.
It is rumoured that Lamola had touted him as a candidate to serve as his deputy, but unity talks among those opposing the so-called “Premier League” may lead to Morolong not contesting the position.
His support includes a little of the Northern Cape and North West.
Secretary-general
Like the position of deputy president, youth league members believe the candidates for the position will be decided by today.
The position of deputy secretary-general (DSG) is also understood to not have been extensively lobbied for.
Thandi Moraka from Limpopo, |currently the deputy chairwoman of Limpopo and a member of the provincial legislature, is a candidate on the Maine slate.
On Makhubela’s slate, ANCYL Limpopo spokesman, Kgopela Phasha, could be put forward for the position of DSG.
Mawethu Rune
Rune is a former president of the SA Students’ Congress (Sasco) from the Eastern Cape.
However, the Eastern Cape is viewed as having suffered serious losses in the strength of league structures, resulting in declining influence at national level. Sources in the league, however, believe he is still interested in the position of SG.
Njabulo Nzuza
Nzuza hails from KwaZulu-Natal, and is believed to be on Maine’s slate.
He is currently the secretary of the Musa Dladla region.
Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Free State, North West and KwaZulu-Natal are believed to support him.
Treasurer-general
Reggie Nkabinde
Nkabinde is a businessman from the West Rand in Gauteng. His campaign was said this week to have been funded by himself.
Critics counter that he enjoys patchy support from the West Rand and Gauteng generally.
Victoria de Beer
De Beer is from the Free State and initially enjoyed support from those who want Maine to be youth league president. She is also understood to enjoy support from Mabe and Makhubela supporters.
She previously served on the league’s national task team.
Biko Monyatsi
Monyatsi is from the Free State and enjoys support from that province as well as from North West, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and some parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
He is an additional member of the youth league PEC in the Free State.
Labour Bureau