Johannesburg - ANC national executive committee (NEC) member Pule Mabe is set to stand for the position of president of the ANC Youth League despite facing multiple charges of corruption.
Mabe, who is a former treasurer of the league, told The Sunday Independent that he was subjecting himself to court processes, but maintained his innocence of the charges.
He was arrested and charged earlier this year alongside former spokesman of the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa), Paseka Letsatsi, and Surprise Ramosa for allegedly defrauding the agency.
In September, about R2.2 million worth of assets belonging to Mabe and his co-accused were seized by the National Prosecuting Authority’s asset forfeiture unit after it was granted a freezing order by the Pretoria High Court.
However, Mabe said the charges against him would have no bearing on his decision whether or not to stand for the position of youth league president.
“We do not go out and manufacture charges against ourselves. Sometimes we find ourselves in these situations, we submit ourselves to the process, provide the necessary clarity and leave the courts to become the final arbiter in these matters,” he said.
He said he was not campaigning to become the leader of the youth league, but was aware that there were branches that wanted him to stand for the position.
“In the ANC we have a different culture than other organisations, where you cannot just stand up and say you want to lead. This is done by the structures of the organisation.
“You can go around saying you want to be elected to a certain position but get a rude awakening when the structures of the ANC do not nominate you.
“In my case there have been whispers about me standing for that position, and the whispers have been very loud. We will respond to such when the people tasked with running the ballot papers and other processes tell us we have been nominated by structures of the youth league,” he said.
Mabe is expected to contest the position against youth league task-team co-ordinator Magasela Mzobe and former youth league deputy president Ronald Lamola.
While the date for the youth league conference has yet to be finalised, it is expected to be a significant one after its previous leadership was dissolved under Julius Malema.
Asked whether the youth league would struggle to compete for the country’s youth against the Economic Freedom Fighters, Mabe was dismissive of the EFF and warned that the league would challenge its combative ways of politics.
The party has been criticised in certain quarters for its behaviour in Parliament, which included several walkouts in the National Assembly, the ad hoc committee on Nkandla and a protests that turned violent at the Gauteng legislature.
“The youth league of the ANC cannot fold its arms and watch scenes reminiscent of action movies of a parliament, which is an institution that deals with law-making, being reduced to certain levels.
“As part of defending democracy and the gains of our freedom, in instances like those, it is important that the league takes to the streets to defend that institution,” said Mabe.
But Mabe was also evasive on certain questions, including issues about the eventual shutdown of the league’s investment arm, Lembede Investments. “It was the decision of the council of the league to shut down Lembede (Investments). I cannot now go into how they arrived at that decision. It is rather unfair, however, to link issue like Lembede to the financial issues of the league.
“The provisional liquidation happened way after Lembede had been shut down,” said Mabe.
He said the unity of the youth league, following turbulent times after its leadership was disbanded, was more important than who became the president.
“The unity is paramount and that must be clearly understood. When people elect a leader, they must do so (to ensure) the leader represents a certain perspective.
“If I am nominated and decide to stand, and thereafter get hit by a bus, the conference of the league must still sit. We must first decide on what the end game is, what programmes we want to pursue.
“Thereafter, we can decide who is the person best placed to lead that programme,” Mabe said.
Sunday Independent