Thlologelo Collen Malatji
The ANC Youth League this year marks the 76th year since its formation. Its formation was grounded in heightening the Struggle against the colonial and apartheid system.
The ANCYL was meant to launch the Struggle against apartheid for national liberation on the basis of African nationalism.
The ANCYL manifesto, issued in March 1944, radically criticised the ANC in the way it conducted the Struggle against the apartheid regime. It called the ANC an organisation of “gentlemen with clean hands” that failed to organise the majority of South Africans to fight the regime.
History teaches us that the ANC, in its inception in 1912, represented only the educated and perceived black middle class under colonialism. The measure to middle class and education under colonialism correlates to Christianity.
The formation of the African Native National Congress, later renamed the ANC, was formed in 1912 by traditional leaders and church clergy.
Christianity and traditional leaders influenced the direction of the ANC from its inception, as much of its leaders come from a background of traditional leaders and Christianity. Sefako Makgatho, James Calata, Zacharias Richard Mahabane, Albert Luthuli, and Nelson Mandela, for instance, ascended to ANC leadership from the background of traditional leadership and Christianity.
The presumption is that the ANC’s formation with the leadership ascending from Christianity and traditional leadership predetermined that they would treat the Struggle with kid gloves.
Therefore, the formation of the Youth League took a diametrically opposed posture in approaching the regime - they were more radical, militant, and ideological, grounded in African nationalism and believed that the proper people to conduct the Struggle against the regime were oppressed people.
The first president of the ANCYL, Anton Lembede, contended that the history of modern times is the history of nationalism. Without doubt, the generation of Anton Lembede, Ashby Mda, Nelson Mandela, and OR Tambo was militant, ideologically astute, and disciplined.
The burning question today is: Are South African youth able to rise beyond the generation of the 1940s? The answer to the question will be sourced from reflecting on today’s ANC Youth League.
The ANCYL has a bigger battle to fight against gender-based violence and femicide. Patriarchy is guilty of numerous gross atrocities, but perhaps the grossest of all is the insatiable need by patriarchs, misogynists and sympathisers to act with absolute impunity as they impede on the agency of women.
As we celebrate the 76th anniversary of the ANCYL, we must also try to reimagine a Youth League that will best represent our generation.
The Struggle has been evolving and taking into cognisance that the youth are not a static feature, but are ageing beings. Therefore, we have a responsibility to represent our generation to our best ability.
We have seen the fall of the ANCYL from being an autonomous and militant organisation to being a feeble organisation micromanaged by the ANC leadership.
However, we cannot shy away from the fact that under current circumstances, where youth unemployment is rife, most youth will join the ANCYL as a way of getting jobs and business from the government.
These are among the factors that contributed to the fall of the ANCYL. Youth join the Youth League and ANC for reasons contrary to building a democratic and prosperous society.
Hence, today’s ANCYL’s rooted toxic conduct can be attributed to the youth’s dependent relationship with ANC leaders who give them business opportunities and employment. The only way to address this toxic conduct is through addressing structural unemployment. In celebrating our 76th anniversary, it will be necessary to reposition the ANC Youth League in the current conditions influenced by the climate crisis, high youth unemployment and poverty.
It is a fact that our generation is trapped under a capitalist social system that tends to aspire to a celebrity culture deceived by Facebook likes and Twitter trends, but forgets that we are in an ongoing struggle to build a prosperous society.
The “followership” on social media are dependent on feeding this celebrity status with money and conspicuous consumption.
Therefore, let’s celebrate the 76th anniversary of the ANCYL through reviving the history of the 1940s generation. The point of departure is that the Youth League must claim its autonomy from being managed by the older generation of the ANC.
Let’s celebrate through embracing the unity of the ANC and contribute to the fight against corruption by mobilising the youth to pressure the NPA to prosecute those embroiled in corrupt activities.
Finally, the ANCYL must campaign for greater state control of the economic sector of the economy.
NB: The ANC youth league was birthed in 10 September 1944. The youth league executive was disbanded in 2018 after it failed to take the organisation to an elective conference. There is currently a National Youth Task Team put in place to lead the League to conference.