Young Communist League of SA backs Ramaphosa

YCLSA secretary Mluleki Dlelanga addresses the organisation's national congress in Soweto. Picture: Getrude Makhafola/ANA

YCLSA secretary Mluleki Dlelanga addresses the organisation's national congress in Soweto. Picture: Getrude Makhafola/ANA

Published Dec 9, 2016

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Johannesburg – The Young Communist League of SA (YCLSA) said on Friday it would back Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to take over the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) when President Jacob Zuma's second term ends.

However, the organisation did not support calls for Zuma to resign, said secretary Mluleki Dlelanga.

"We do not support the view that President Zuma must resign. Zuma must lead the ANC to the next elective congress next year. We discussed this matter, and our interest on who leads the ANC next is based on principle.

"President Zuma is fully aware that he was elected in the ANC structures, and therefor it is important for the President, the leader of the ANC, to provide leadership on this, rather than allow his name to be used by factions to divide the movement," Dlelanga told delegates at the organisation's congress held in Soweto.

"Top on our principle is a leader who will unite the movement, and place interests of our people, especially the poor and the workers, at the forefront...that is the leader we want. We are happy with the Cosatu pronunciation to support Deputy President Ramaphosa...we will always be on the side of the workers, Cosatu has left us with no option but to support comrade Ramaphosa."

Although its mother body, the SA Communist Party (SACP) has not announced its view on the next ANC leader, the YCLSA respected the SACP's decision to not pronounce its leadership choice yet, said Dlelanga.

He said the beleaguered ruling party, had two main factions – one supporting Ramaphosa and another supporting outgoing African Union (AU) chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

"There is no other person except these two. You see comrades...one cannot choose to be neutral. People are asking where do we stand as YCLA, do we support Ramaphosa or Nkosazana? We back Cosatu on this one."

Cosatu announced its support for Ramaphosa three weeks ago. It said Ramaphosa was a tested leader having been a unionist within Cosatu and helped at the forefront of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), and said it would canvass for Ramaphosa's election in 2017.

The ANC's national conference next year December would see the party branches elect their preferred successor to Zuma, who is facing mounting pressure to step down.

With the party having lost control of three of the country's metros in the August local government elections, Zuma's detractors fear that support for Africa's oldest liberation movement would drop further in the 2019 general elections should he remain at the helm.

African News Agency

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