The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) has declared that it has started a recruitment campaign to bolster and restore the grassroots level.
As part of a larger plan to interact with communities and support the interests of young people, the organisation disclosed that it is concentrating on revitalising its branches and regional leadership.
This follows a difficult year for the mother body, which saw the introduction of the second government of national unity under democracy after losing the majority of votes in the general elections of May 2024.
Recruitment campaign
The ANCYL spokesperson, Zama Khanyase, confirmed that the organisation was almost finished with its recruitment campaign, branch general meetings, and regional and provincial congress preparations.
According to Khanyase, this extensive organisational reconstruction project started in 2024 and is expected to be finished by the end of 2025’s first quarter.
According to her, the ANCYL has taken the initiative while the ANC is having trouble enforcing its policies.
She informed Sunday World that in order to expedite the implementation of policies, the league is holding ANC members in government responsible and obtaining updates on their plans.
“The image of the ANC is in the process of being restored; for the longest of time, we prolonged being bold about isolating individuals that misrepresent what the ANC stands for,” said Khanyase.
“We are now bold about it. All individuals who are corrupt must be reported, and the law must take its course while they step aside to clear their names.
“The biggest challenge for them all is the ANC lacking in claiming its victories. It is not true that the ANC has not done anything to transform the lives of South Africans.
“We need to improve in highlighting the work done while we push for more work to be done.”
Youth employment
Under the theme “Economic Freedom and Social Change Now, Not Later”, she said the ANCYL was also contributing to the youth mobilisation.
This means fighting for youth employment through marches.
Following the first march, a number of young people were employed under the eThekwini municipality, she said.
“We speak the language of our people; we know and understand their struggles because we live amongst them. The programmes we lead are those that are a direct response to their needs,” she said.
Speaking on the ANC’s renewal and attempts to maintain relevance, Khanyase said the party is busy with research, monitoring, and evaluation.
“The ANC introduced the position of second deputy secretary-general,” she said.
“This new official of the ANC is responsible for this work, and it has seen the ANC improving its systems and being guided by facts and research in the new way of approaching challenges and organising programmes that touch the lives of all South Africans.”
