Defending critical ANCYL voices: ‘Don’t censor necessary irritation’

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has defended the president of the ANC Youth League, Collen Malatji, after he criticised Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi for not creating jobs.

Malatji criticised Nxesi in his closing address at the second leg of the youth league’s 26th national congress in the Free State over the weekend.

He said Nxesi appeared to be the “minister of unemployment” and should be removed.

This came shortly after Mbalula called for Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan to move with speed or risk being moved.

Malatji said: “We are no longer going to delegate this responsibility to pensioners. The responsibility to take this country forward is upon us, but you can’t do that if you have no solutions.

“That Thulas Nxesi, who is the minister of employment, appears like he is minister of unemployment. I don’t know when we are removing him, but it’s an urgent matter.

“The president of the country, Cyril Ramaphosa, responding to the issue of unemployment, employed a minister of employment who is becoming a minister of unemployment. That minister is not responding to the practical issues the youth wants to speak about.”

In response to Malatji’s remarks, the ANC said it did not encourage insults at party members.

But Mbalula defended the league and said it was a “necessary irritation” that should not be censored.

“If the youth league or Sasco says there is a problem of unemployment, they must be able to back it up and say the government is failing us on this issue. Even if they say that in public, there is nothing wrong,” he said.

“What is important is that they advance their argument. Sasco fights bigger battles in the campuses of Nsfas and makes comrade Blade (Nzimande) sweat.

“They need to engage but equally, they represent a constituency that is restless. They, too, are affected, they are leaders of students and they are free to engage with them.”

He said the ANC may sometimes not see things young people see and calling on them to provide ideas to solve issues.