Johannesburg - Ronald Lamola is looking to make a comeback as the president of the ANC Youth League.
Lamola survived a sanction when the ANC’s disciplinary committee came down hard on his former colleagues, including Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu, who have since left the party to form the Economic Freedom Fighters.
Speaking to The Sunday Independent this week, Lamola was open about campaigning to become the league’s president when the organisation eventually holds its elective conference.
“I’m not running a secret, clandestine and underground operation. Why must we have secret meetings of lobbying and not engaging structures directly? Even if anybody can lie to you and say they are not campaigning, we know they hold night meetings; they hold caucuses and give directives.
“With these secretive arrangements, criminals can buy the youth league. Monies of fraud and corruption can be used to fund the leadership campaigns of the youth league,” he said.
Lamola sounds suspicious of the campaigns run by the two other candidates, Magasela Mzobe and Pule Mabe, suggesting that the funding of such campaigns should be “transparent”.
“There need to be questions asked about who funds campaigns for people going around the country lobbying for support.
“There must be a question to say, ‘Lamola, Pule and Magasela, we see you are going all over lobbying for support, but who is funding this process?’” Lamola said.
With the national executive committee of the league disbanded under his watch after the suspension of Malema, Lamola is still blamed in some quarters for failing to “save the league” from the wrath of its mother body.
“When a decision is taken by the majority you have to respect it. We disagreed with the disbandment and we still do, but conference said NEC must act and they decided to disband. It’s not a sign of failure on our part, we took the mandate that was given by the youth league conference at Gallagher (Estate),” he said.
He believes it was a mistake to disband the youth league, and points to problems across its structures as a result of the disbandment.
“The disbandment left a serious vacuum, and that is why we are having the problems that we are now experiencing.
“I don’t think the ANC will ever do such a thing again where they disband the youth league. It is a radical, militant component of the ANC, and a very necessary irritation to the national leadership.
“They must not kill young leaders, but must nurture them instead,” said Lamola.
Despite what he describes as “engaging members directly”, he has been accused of basing most of his campaign in the media.
“That’s not true. I’ve spoken to structures, yesterday I was in Tshwane and the reception was exceptional. I was invited by the zones, and everywhere I speak I’m invited by branches and structures of the youth league.
“That is not campaigning in the media,” he said.
He is also said to have failed to garner support in his home province of Mpumalanga, which he disputes.
“It’s not true, where do they get that from, because there have not been a provincial general council and there have not been RGCs in Mpumalanga, where the membership of Mpumalanga pronounced on this?
“They have just spoken to a few PEC members who guaranteed them support.
“There is no way that Mpumalanga cannot support us,” he added.
According to Lamola, he had broken ranks with Malema and others who left for the EFF as he believed change could still be achieved from inside the ANC.
“Whatever we did was on the mandate of the youth league through conference resolutions.
“They wanted to do it outside and that is where we disagreed. They never even approached me about joining the EFF because they knew my stance,” said Lamola.
He denied the league would be under pressure to kowtow to the wishes of the national leadership after what happened to its previous leaders.
“The league will remain a militant and radical organisation.
“Even in Mangaung we scored crucial victories because the ANC pronounced on the issues we were raising. The ANC came out of the conference a more radical organisation because of what the league was advocating,” said Lamola. - Sunday Independent