MEMBERS of the disbanded ANC Western Cape Youth League blame the party’s decline on the “older leadership”, adding that the party’s “real revival” requires the hands of a younger and capable crop of leaders.
And if the ANC is to take back the City of Cape Town through a coalition government in 2026, a group of talented young people must take the reins in the province.
This was the view of a group who identified themselves as the “multi- generational” ANCYL and former ANCYL leaders.
The group published a document titled “Jerusalema” which outlines the state of the party as the province prepares for an elective conference.
Led by former ANCYL provincial secretary Andile Mbali, Nzulu Gona and former youth league spokesperson Siyabulela Tom, the group is set to present the document to ANC structures and its alliance partners this week.
Tom told the Weekend Argus the document was a plea for the province’s youth “across all factional divides to unite, renew and rebuild the ANC in the province”.
“It gives a historical context of how the ANC was vibrant in the past when it was led by younger generations and draws links between the collapse of the ANC with the overstay in office of older leaders.
“These people have lost ideas and their differences and infighting cost the organisation big time. Now is the time for young people to take over the reins and save the ANC,” Tom said.
The trio said the real revival of the ANC was long overdue.
“It would not be untoward to suggest that there is a direct correlation between the downward spiral of the ANC (nationally), over the last three decades and the move towards an older leadership in the organisation, especially in its top leadership. The story in the Western Cape is no different,” the discussion document read.
The group argued that when Ebrahim Rasool was elected Western Cape chairperson in 1998 he was 36 years old and six years later, in 2004, he was 42 when he was installed as premier. Meanwhile, Marius Fransman was 42 when he was elected chair in 2011 and leader of the opposition in the Western Cape Legislature, Cameron Dugmore was 31 when he was first elected to the provincial executive and provincial working committees and at 41 he was appointed as MEC of education.
Another MPL, Lulama Mvimbi, was elected mayor of Plettenberg Bay in 1995 at the age of 22.
“At the latest estimates, only seven of the 30 people appointed to the interim provincial committee were under 50 years.
The group outlined an ambitious campaign in 2024 that aims to see the ANC obtain at least 34% in the province, contribute 10% to the ANC’s national vote, and bring the DA down to below 55% in the province.
“With an elected leadership solidly in place and with energised representatives in the national and provincial parliaments, the ANC in the Western Cape must be able to start building towards a coalition in the City of Cape Town in 2026 and in the province by 2029.
“After receiving 18% in the City of Cape Town in 2021, this will be a tough task for the ANC to regain levels whereby it can viably form a coalition in 2026.
“It can be done. It must be able to work with other opposition parties and chip away at DA support,” the group said.
But political analyst Andre Duvenhage said while the group’s argument held water, the ANC in the Western Cape was unlikely to regain powe.
“The ANC is on the decline and I can understand that there are groupings trying to make a case and positioning themselves but if you look at the demographics and also consider that people are relatively happy with service delivery with the exception of some areas, it is unlikely the ANC could get the metro or the province back,” Duvenhage said.