Tensions are mounting within the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in Limpopo amid claims that capable young leaders are being overlooked in favour of factionally connected candidates.
The latest controversy centres around the recommendation of ANCYL provincial spokesperson Abia Makola to a senior post in the Limpopo Premier’s Office. Makola has been endorsed by the powerful Sekhukhune faction to lead the Directorate: Limpopo Youth Development.
This is a move that has angered members who say it is yet another case of cadre deployment trumping merit.
“There are many experienced young comrades who can take up this position, but it is being handed to Abia because of a certain cabal,” one member told Sunday World.
Jobless cadres
Another YL member said the practice was weakening the organisation: “Many young people in the League are unemployed because positions are being kept for certain people. It’s not fair. Then they expect us to campaign for the ANC while we battle with unemployment.”
According to recruitment guidelines from the Department of Public Service and Administration, the post requires at least an NQF Level 7 qualification and five years of management experience. Critics argue Makola falls short of this bar.
Frustration over political appointments has been fuelled by high unemployment among the League’s ranks. Many ANCYL members remain jobless, while insiders allege that loyalty is often rewarded over competence.
Former ANCYL member Douglas Ngobeni, who has repeatedly criticised the process, accused some within the movement of manipulating systems to secure jobs for allies.
Criteria not met
“There are criminals who are busy faking qualifications and experience of a comrade so that the comrade is appointed for a level 13 director post in the Premier’s Office,” he posted on Facebook. Speaking to Sunday World, Ngobeni said his departure from the League was motivated by the sidelining of capable young leaders in favour of politically connected individuals.
The row taps into the broader debate over cadre deployment, a practice the ANC has defended as ensuring alignment between government and party policy. Critics, including the DA, say this practice undermines governance and blocks skilled professionals from public service.
Despite the backlash, the ANCYL has stood by Makola. Provincial secretary Phineas “Boko” Sebola dismissed the allegations, insisting Makola had the integrity and experience to lead.
“It’s a lie that he doesn’t qualify … Comrade Abia is a good young man with a clean conscience; he doesn’t deserve these narrow attacks. This targeting of the ANCYL is tantamount to witchcraft,” Sebola said. He added that Makola is currently completing a qualification that would place him at NQF Level 9.
Sebola also rejected claims that the ANCYL was lobbying for candidates in government, calling them “gossip” intended to divide the organisation.
Makola himself did not confirm or deny details of his questionable qualifications and experience. He told Sunday World: “I am a young person still eligible to apply for job opportunities locally, nationally, and internationally. As it is, I have yet to receive correspondence on posts I have applied for. Your questions therefore are not relevant.”
