ANC Youth League (ANCYL) leaders are unable to attend meetings or carry out party programmes because they are unemployed.
This is even when the organization campaigns nationally for economic freedom and job creation for the youth.
This is according to the league’s national general council organizational report, which was delivered by ANCYL secretary general Mtuwoxolo Ngudle in Kimberley last week.
The report, which we have seen, stated that several structures across provinces and regions flagged high levels of unemployment among leaders as the reason why they are unable to carry out party programmes or attend meetings.
“The ANCYL in Gauteng cites unemployment of provincial executive committee members as a major challenge. In the Eastern Cape’s Joe Gqabi region, the report acknowledges high unemployment among regional executive committee members.”
The report further stated that youth unemployment is flagged as a serious challenge, especially in the Boland and West Coast regions in the Western Cape.
While farmworker exploitation and high youth unemployment fuel frustration, said the report, severe unemployment and poverty have weakened ANCYL structures.
“The membership profile indicates that the majority of young people in the KwaZulu-Natal league structures are unemployed youth aged between 16 and 27.
Mpumalanga, according to the report, highlights unemployment of young people and non-deployment of ANCYL comrades into strategic bodies as a major challenge.
Beyond internal struggles, the ANCYL has consistently mobilised around the broader youth unemployment crisis, according to the report. In October 2024, it led an Economic Freedom March to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, demanding urgent action to tackle inequality and joblessness.
Earlier this year, the league also joined forces with the National Union of Mineworkers Youth Structure to picket against mass retrenchments, warning that the lack of jobs is fuelling crime, poverty and substance abuse.
The contradictions presented in the report are evident and raise critical questions about the ANC’s support for its youth wing. Despite repeated calls for the ANC to ensure economic opportunities for the league’s members, the mother body has not yet addressed it.
The report reflects frustrations over poor deployment of young people into government and municipal structures, particularly in provinces like Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.
In terms of overall support for the league, the view is that financial assistance, even from the mother body, is scarce.
“In all regions, ANCYL deployee levies go directly to the ANC and are often unavailable for youth league programmes.”
In KZN and Limpopo, structures have received financial support, although they are trying to secure more funds.
Structures in Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Western Cape are sometimes assisted by the mother body. The Free State and Mpumalanga, on the other hand, complain about a lack of financial support and factional battles, which spill over to the league’s membership.
