Collen Maine: Mbalula will not rule the ANCYL from the grave

ANC national executive committee member (NEC) Fikile Mbalula will not rule the party’s youth league from the grave, ANC Youth League (ANCYL) president Collen Maine said on Monday.

Maine, speaking at the governing party’s headquarters in Johannesburg, Luthuli House, slammed the former league leader after he rejected the ANCYL’s nomination of Free State Premier Ace Magashule as the party’s next-secretary general.

Mbalula had taken to Twitter on Thursday to slam the suggestion, saying Magashule would destroy what was left of the movement.

“He [Mbalula] had his time as the president of the youth league and we never interfered with his leadership. It’s quite unfortunate that he’s engaging us through loud-hailing and, when he does that‚ he’s upsetting some of us [as] the current leadership of the youth league‚” said Maine.

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He said the Free State premier – who’s a known backer of President Jacob Zuma – was a “definite no no” for the top post and endorsed Gauteng Premier David Makhura as Mantashe’s successor.

“To degrade other comrades like he did with Comrade Ace‚ I don’t think it’s okay. We still believe that Comrade Ace will not kill the ANC. If Mbalula and Ace have historical issues in the Free State‚ that is not our issue,” said Maine.

Last week the ANCYL, following its NEC meeting, nominated Mbalula to a position that does not currently exist in the ANC of second deputy secretary-general.

Maine said there was “nothing special” about the police minister, just as he said about ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa.

“We still believe Mbalula has the capabilities of leading as the second deputy secretary‚ but if he’s not available‚ he’s not available,” he said.

“This list is not cast in stone‚ there are positions that we are not willing to compromise on but [on] other positions we will engage. We are not willing to compromise on NDZ (Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma)‚ David Mabuza (Mpumalanga premier)‚ the secretary-general (Magashule) and the ANC’s deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte. We will then engage on other positions‚” Maine added.

MKMVA’s preferred list of top six leaders

Earlier on Monday‚ the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans’ Association (MKMVA) announced its preferred list of candidates for the ANC’s upcoming 54^th national elective conference in December.

The association – which does not have the power to elect leaders at the conference like other formal structures of the ANC – wants Dlamini-Zuma to take over the party reins as the next leader of Africa’s oldest liberation movement, and wants Mabuza for deputy president, similar to the ANCYL’s list.

Other candidates include Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa as national chairperson‚ Magashule for secretary-general‚ Minister of International Relations Maite Nkoana-Mashabane to be the next treasurer-general, and current deputy secretary-general Duarte to remain in her position.

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