Maine elected ANCYL president

Published Sep 5, 2015

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Johannesburg - North West ANC Youth League chairman Collen Maine was elected president at the organisation’s 25th national elective conference on Friday night.

Maine smiled and shook hands with national task team (NTT) members as he was called to the podium.

“Comrades, this is the newly elected leaders of the ANCYL national congress,” NTT member Nocawe Mafu announced to a loud applause from the delegates.

ANCYL Mpumalanga chairman Desmond Moela was elected deputy president and Njabulo Nzuza, the secretary in the Musa Dladla region in KwaZulu-Natal, was elected secretary general.

Limpopo’s deputy chairwoman Thandi Moraka was elected Nzuza’s deputy and Reggie Nkabinde from Gauteng’s West Rand took the position of treasurer.

Voting was conducted through a show of name tags following a chaotic nomination process on Friday night, when delegates demanded that nominations for former youth league deputy president Ronald Lamola be recounted.

Lamola surprised delegates and reporters when he declined nomination as deputy president.

“I decline nomination, this process is a farce… this process is not transparent at all,” he said.

The so called “premiers’ league”, comprising of ANC leaders such as North West premier Supra Mahumapelo, Free State’s Ace Magashule, and Mpumalanga’s David Mabuza, had reportedly advanced Maine as candidate for the league presidency.

Mahumapelo arrived shortly after nominations and went up the podium to greet members of the NTT.

He later took a seat among delegates and guests and joined in the singing after the new leaders were announced.

Pule Mabe, whose nomination did not gather enough support, and Lamola went up the podium and congratulated Maine and his team.

The league’s previous leadership, led by Julius Malema, was dissolved in 2013.

Malema, who formed his own political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, was expelled from the ANCYL in 2012 for bringing the party into disrepute.

The NTT was appointed by the ANC to rebuild the fractured youth organisation’s structures. Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa was the co-ordinator of the NTT, while Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula was the convenor.

President Jacob Zuma is expected to address the delegates on Saturday morning.

African News Agency

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