Young people must reclaim league
ANC Youth League presidential candidate and ANC MP Collen Malatji has given the league’s national task team members an ultimatum to vacate their positions before Monday or face fraud charges, calling them illegitimate elders.
Malatji threatened to open a case of fraud against the NYTT leaders, arguing they were illegally occupying their positions and were overseeing the operations of the youth league to pursue their own political interests.
In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, Malatji, who has been touted by numerous provinces to lead the moribund league, said the current NYTT leaders were elders who
had no interest in handing over a solid and healthy youth league to young people.
“We demand the release of the ANCYL from a senior capture. We have devoted our childhood and our prime youth years to this organisation. We will fight for its sustenance with everything we have, even if it means we press charges against fraudulent imposters masquerading as NYTT representing young people,” said Malatji.
He said the practice of appointing the old guards into positions in the youth league had not worked because they were using their positions to fight their political battles in the
mother body.
“They don’t even look like they are ready to take us to conference. Young people must be the ones leading the ANCYL and preparing the organisation for conference, not old guards.They have hijacked the organisation,” said Malatji.
The young MP called for the establishment of a new national task team to be led by people under the age of 35.
The Ekurhuleni ANCYL convenor also took a swipe at former youth league leaders such as Fikile Mbalula, Malusi Gigaba and Sibongile Besani, accusing them of failing to outgrow
the politics of the league. He said the trio and many others who were now serving in the NYTT, were part of the problem.
Malatji’s sentiments were also echoed by another youth leader, Sibusiso Kula, an ANCYL regional secretary in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda region in North West, who said they were giving
the NYTT leaders until Monday to pack their things and go.
“How can a 44-year-old champion the interests of 14-year-olds? The youth league is not a dynasty,” Kula asked.
Meanwhile, the NYTT’s national coordinator, Besani, who resigned last week, wrote to structures of the youth league across the country informing them that he was not going to
sign off or approve the ANCYL membership audit that was currently under way.
In the letter, Besani said he was not involved and had no knowledge of a team of people who were appointed to conduct the audit.
Details have also emerged that Fees Must Fall activist and former Wits SRC president Mcebo Dlamini is also running for the presidency of the league. It is believed he has the backing of supporters of ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule in the youth league.
ANCYL NYTT spokeswoman Sizophila Mkhize said the task team’s only focus was to take the league to national conference and nothing more. “If indeed those statements were
made, it is very unfortunate,” she said.
On Besani’s rant about the membership audit, Mkhize said the matter was going to be discussed at the NYTT national working committee meeting tomorrow, stating that there was
misunderstanding on the part of National Coordinator .
She said the NYTT has only conducted branch and membership verification and not the audit as stated by Besani in his letter to the structures.
By Aubrey Mothombeni
‘Selfish elders have hijacked ANCYL’
