ANCYL’s Mkhize slate will have no impact on elective conference outcomes

There is no reason for panic over the ANC Youth League’s national youth task team’s (NYTT) ANC top six leadership slate with former health minister Zweli Mkhize on top because it will have no impact on the Nasrec 2 outcomes.

Besides, the slate did not represent the entire league’s membership’s position but is merely the result of voting by individuals from the task team, whose constitutional standing is in doubt. The NYTT did not hold an elective conference.

Nothing was discussed about leadership

Some sections of the NYTT said the slate that showed Mkhize as the youth’s presidential choice was an outcome of the NYTT voting process. An NYTT source said the result did not mean they rejected President Cyril Ramaphosa because nothing was discussed about leadership in the youth meeting.

Votes and nominations

Mkhize received 19 votes, Ramaphosa got 17 and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma got four. ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile was the most popular candidate for deputy president and was elected unopposed by the youth.

But the youth slate reflected the influence of the radical economic transformation faction (RET) in the NYTT. They nominated RET’s Nomvula Mokonyane for deputy secretary-general and Pule Mabe for treasurer-general.

The league had Fikile Mbalula for secretary-general and Stanley Mathabatha for national chair.

Another ANC source, explaining the impact of the youth vote, said it was no cause for alarm because the vote represented less than 20% of the 40 ANCYL delegates to the conference.

Each of the party leagues – ANCYL, the women’s and veterans league – send 40 voting delegates each to the conference.

Both the ANC Women’s League and the veterans league opted to give Ramaphosa a second term.

The ANCWL nominated Thandi Modise as Ramaphosa’s running mate and Fikile Mbalula as secretary-general.

The veterans want Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka as deputy president.

They also listed national executive committee member Joel Netshitenzhe as national chair and Gwen Ramokgopa as secretary-general.

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