ANCYL’s bad boy left me blushing

25/02/2014 Lesego Makhubela is the Tshwane regional ANCYL coordinator. Picture: Phill Magakoe

25/02/2014 Lesego Makhubela is the Tshwane regional ANCYL coordinator. Picture: Phill Magakoe

Published Mar 13, 2014

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Realising that choosing a party to vote for was a bit like finding a life partner, Lali van Zuydam decided to go on a dating spree with representatives of the organisations that will contest the May 7 elections. This time she met up with Lesego Makhubela, the regional co-ordinator of the ANC Youth League.

Pretoria - I have been waiting for the date that would leave me blushing. I expected at least one of my potential romantic partners to make me blush in my mission to date political parties.

About a month ago, I set out to find a long term, stable political partner who is raceless and who will provide me with sustainable opportunities now and in the future.

This will help me decide who to give my vote to on May 7.

Four dates into my great dating adventure, I met the bad boy – and boy did he leave me blushing.

Do I even need to mention that date number four was with the ANC?

I met 27-year-old Lesego Makhubela, the regional co-ordinator of the ANC Youth League.

I call him the bad boy because he’s the one with the power at the moment.

He’s confident. He’s bombastic – not to mention charming and charismatic.

He leads the conversation and answers my questions before I even ask them.

He tells me he wants someone vibrant, who isn’t afraid to express themselves.

He’s looking for someone dynamic and robust. His dream partner must appreciate their history and look forward to the future.

He’s not afraid of being criticised.

“I don’t want someone who is blindly loyal. I want someone who can question and criticise what I am doing and tell me when they don’t agree,” he said.

He wants us to have conversations and debates about the important issues in our relationship.

Amen!

He is looking for someone of the same calibre as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo.

Considering I’m a girl, let’s say Sophie de Bruyn or Helen Suzman – but I understand what he means.

“I want an all-rounder, someone critical, analytical and conscious of what is happening in the world. I’m not looking for skin colour,” he said.

He doesn’t want someone who will fall for someone who buys them T-shirts and gives them handouts.

He said young people, like me, were the cornerstone of society and owed our freedom to young people who came before us. Just think of June 16, 1976.

He said our past left indelible marks on us that would be difficult to forget.

Our past will haunt us until inequalities are abolished. That’s fair even though I don’t feel as much affected by the past.

Luckily, we can do something to fix what is broken. We can create a colour-blind society through our actions.

“We have to start dating each other. We need to get out there and mingle. It is our responsibility as young people and we are slowly getting there,” he said.

He said I should not fall in love with him for his skin colour, rather for the “content of his character”.

“You will like me because I’m charismatic and I make you smile,” he said.

This is where the blushing and giggling started.

“You and I have to turn the tide and say enough is enough,” he said about racial stereotypes and discrimination.

It certainly won’t be easy, but that’s what I want as well.

He said I could be assured there would be fights and protests but that would give us the opportunity to lead and intervene where necessary.

It would strengthen our relationship.

He said we should encourage dialogue where possible.

He has invested a lot in education, he tells me.

“I have always been clear about one thing. I am always working towards preparing the youth for the future,” he said.

He claims to have spent a massive amount of money on education. But as the one in power he has to spend a lot on the future of people like me.

Regarding my potential father-in-law, my date had no criticism. He’s the best father he’s ever had, he tells me.

Here we hit a snag in the date and the blushing stopped (thankfully).

He kept dodging my questions about a certain “fire pool”.

He defended “his father” by saying he was not aware what it would cost to have the “security” upgraded at his house.

I don’t fall for it but he maintains his side of the story. Maybe we don’t have to agree on everything.

He was convinced I would choose him as my partner.

What do they say about girls always liking the bad boy?

Still, there are more dates to be had before I can decide who to commit myself to. I however giggled when he said his party would be around “until Jesus Christ comes”.

Pretoria News

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