After nearly a decade of an absence of elective congress, the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) is finally convening its much-anticipated 26th National Congress starting on Friday until Sunday with Collen Malatji in pole position for the coveted post of president.
The party’s electoral committee confirmed during a state of readiness media briefing on Thursday evening that the congress, which aims to elect new leadership for the young lions, would proceed as planned.
Malatji’s slate emerged as branch favourites with a clean sweep as the only candidates who met a threshold from more than 2 000 branches that passed audit.
The electoral committee revealed the names of the candidates who have successfully made it onto the ballot through branch nominations with Malatji for the big one, Phumzile Mgcina for deputy president, Mntuwoxolo Ngudle for secretary-general, Tsakani Shiviti for deputy secretary, and Zwelo Masilela for treasurer.
All of them individually received the nod from more than 1 500 branches each.
The opposing faction, led by Eastern Cape’s Aphiwe Mkhangelwa, failed to make the cut even with the low threshold of 20%, which meant one needed a mere 600 branch nominations.
Not all is lost for Mkhangelwa and crew who now will require the support of at least 25% of the delegates present at conference to be nominated from the floor to contest.
But what may be their downfall is that the nomination from the floor gap is open season for any of the delegates to be raised as potential contenders which might muddy the waters further.
It is also a subject of great interest for many to see if ANC national executive committee member Zuko Godlimpi will be raised from the floor.
According to the electoral committee, a total of 3 318 branches were audited with 2 972 of them being verified. The committee emphasized that the auditing process was meticulous and commenced on June 27.
Addressing speculations that the conference format might change, Andrew Dipela, a member of the electoral committee, asserted that the ultimate decision to proceed with an elective or consultative conference lies in the hands of the delegates.
“The decision to continue with the conference lies with the delegates,” he said.
Processes leading to the gathering have been plagued by all sorts of controversies.
The congress holds significant importance for the ANC as it seeks to woo young voters to arrest electoral support decline.
It will also provide a platform for young leaders to shape the future direction of the party and articulate their visions and priorities and those of the broader young population in the country rocked by high levels of unemployment.
But the outcomes of this congress will not only impact the youth league’s leadership but also have potential ramifications for the ANC itself, especially in the so-called “Project 2027”, proponents of which mission cannot afford an unpliable ANCYL leadership.
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