Johannesburg - The way has been cleared for Pule Mabe, the controversial former ANC Youth League (ANCYL) treasurer, to compete for the league’s presidency during its national congress scheduled for the end of the month.
This is despite the fact that he is above the prescribed age limit.
On Monday, the ANCYL’s national task team sought to clear the air on who qualified to contest for national positions at its upcoming congress.
While Nathi Mthethwa, who headed the national task team, avoided answering questions about Mabe’s availability, he said anyone between the ages of 14 and 35 qualified to contest for the position of president.
Mabe turned 35 in March. The ANCYL was plunged into a leadership crisis in August 2012 after the expulsion of its president Julius Malema and his supporters.
The axe also fell on ANCYL communications head Floyd Shivambu, while secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa’s membership was suspended. His suspension has since been lifted.
Addressing journalists in Joburg yesterday, Mthethwa said the league’s national congress was due to be held from June 25-28. It would coincide with the ANC’s celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Freedom Charter since its adoption on June 26, 1955 in Kliptown, Soweto.
Mthethwa, who is also the minister of Arts and Culture, created an impression that all was well before the congress, despite the league’s chaotic KwaZulu-Natal provincial congress which was held over the weekend.
He said the national task team had endorsed the newly elected leaders and the outcome of the conference.
Mthethwa said the task team was looking forward to “rejuvenate and regenerate the ANC Youth League to be the voice of the youth and to champion their interests and hopes”.
“They must expose young people to the ANC. We want to see the youth league driven by the devotion to the cause of the youth rather than narrow interests. We want the re-emergence of people who are giving them hope,” Mthethwa said.
He said 3 000 delegates were expected to attend the conference and that the number would be proportionally spread among the nine provinces. Details about the venue would be announced later.
The Mabe issue became a thorny matter for Mthethwa. While his answers failed to sway journalists, it became clear that Mabe, given Mthethwa’s explanation, was on course to make a third attempt for the throne.
Charges of fraud and corruption had earlier posed a threat to his political ambitions after he and his co-accused were charged for defrauding the South African Social Security Agency. The charges against them were dropped in December last year.
The Star