DURBAN - INTERNAL ructions continue to rile the ruling ANC after two youth league regions in the Free State and Limpopo raised their ire over the exclusion of the youth in the party’s list of candidates for the upcoming local government elections.
The condemnation of the ruling party came from statements issued by the ANC youth league in the Thabo Mofutsanyane district in the Free State and from a similar structure in the Vhembe district in Limpopo on Wednesday.
In a statement issued by the Free State structure, after hosting a preparatory meeting over the weekend, it said it was worried that the mother body backed out of an agreement to include the youth in the list.
The list it was referring to is the one sent by parties to the Electoral Commission of South Africa listing people that would take up political positions after the local government elections on November 1.
“(The) RCPC (Regional Conference Preparatory Committee) expresses with dismay that young people were left off the PR (proportional representatives) list for the local government election. The list makes no mention of the 25% that is non-negotiable. However, we have witnessed the old banding together for their own self-interests.
“Most of our municipalities in the region have fallen due to those who were thought to have experience running successful municipalities.
“It is our belief that young people have the vitality, enthusiasm, and academic exposure to transform the situation of our local government,” the Free State regional structure said in its statement.
Entering the fray, the Limpopo youth league structure first fired a volley at the mother body for its failure to register candidates in some regions and said that was a sign of a huge rot that needs to be urgently rooted out.
It then said it was concerned that youth people had been left out, but still, it encouraged the youth to turn out in their numbers this weekend and register to vote.
“As the ANCYL, we are concerned by the failure of the ANC to meet the IEC deadline and not register candidates in some wards. It exposes the rot of incompetence that we strongly need to clean out of the ANC.
“The ANCYL in Vhembe is deeply hurt and disappointed that lack 25% representation but include very old people who are over their retirement age to add any value to council,” it said.