Durban – Intense political lessons have been arranged for the ANC Youth League in KwaZulu-Natal to stop its ill-disciplined practice of campaigning for AU Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma ahead of the opening of the succession debate.
ANC provincial secretary Super Zuma said in Durban on Thursday that the lessons were a follow-up to a meeting last year where the youth league’s behaviour was discussed.
“Sometimes you educate people through political discussion. That is why we want to meet the leadership of the ANCYL, particularly the PWC (provincial working committee),” said Zuma.
Zuma was briefing journalists about arrangements for the KZN January 8 statement rally to be addressed by provincial chairman Sihle Zikalala and treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize in KwaDukuza on Sunday. He said during last year’s meeting between himself and the league’s provincial secretary Thanduxolo Sabelo he had an understanding that the league regretted its mistake.
However, this week Sabelo made it clear that the league did not regret having prematurely endorsed Dlamini-Zuma to take over from President Jacob Zuma as leader.
The succession debate has already started to divide the ANC between Dlamini-Zuma’s backers -ANCYL, MK Veterans and the ANC Women’s League – and supporters of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa – Cosatu-aligned supporters.
“But whether they are insisting that there is nothing wrong our (previous) discussions indicated that we are on one page that it was wrong to pronounce before the ANC says the discussions can start,” Zuma said.
He said the province would abide by the national executive committee’s decision to cease all succession discussion, and focus on uniting the organisation and formulating guidelines for discussions during the policy conference and the elective conference.
Zuma said the discussion, scheduled for “the next two or three weeks” would help the youth league toe the line.
He said the seriousness of the engagement with the ANCYL would require top five members of the provincial executive committee from both sides to be involved.
“The whole PWC should be there just to discuss politically what it means to conduct ourselves within the principles and values of the organisation,” said Zuma.
However, he had little hope that the meeting would immediately yield positive results. Sabelo said the league had accepted the invitation. “We are always happy for the strategic political direction that the ANC gives us. We always accept their wisdom.”
ANC chairman for Greater KwaDukuza Ricardo Mthembu said all the branches in his region had agreed on who should be the next party president, but would make the pronouncement only once the national executive committee opened the debate.