ANC just ‘plays marbles’
Grassroots members of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) have questioned the legitimacy of the National Youth Task Team (NYTT), an interim structure set up by Luthuli House to replace the defunct league.
ANC banner. Picture: Twitter
They also demanded that all newly formed provincial structures of the league established as part of the NYTT be kicked out of provincial offices and not allowed at decision-making meetings.
The youth, under the umbrella of the ANC Youth League “crisis committee”, have threatened to take the ANC national leadership to court for not heeding their call to disband the NYTT. They alleged the team purported to be a genuine youth structure when it was illegitimate.
“Having noted that the ANC is committed to playing marbles with the youth league and undermine its constitution and that of the Youth League, the crisis committee has resolved to initiate a legal process against the ANC, demanding a declaratory order and interdicts against the NYTT and all ANCYL PECs,” said the committee’s spokesperson, Asanda Luwaca.
The legal subcommittee had been instructed to initiate legal processes against the mother body for allegedly failing to act to disband NYTT. It promised to raise funds for the legal action. The ANCYL was liquidated amidst bankruptcy and leadership infighting last year.
The NYTT was appointed to organise an elective conference of the league to elect new leaders, but that had not yet materialised. The team is comprised mainly on national executive committee members, with the majority aligned to the Zuma faction within the governing party.
The team publicly rebuked Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan for hiring white executives at state-owned enterprises, such as Eskom chief executive Andre de Ruyter. Team chair Tandi Mahambehlala, an ANC parliamentarian and a staunch follower of former president Jacob Zuma, recently mobilised support for controversial ANC councillor Andile Lungisa.
Lungisa was charged with assault after hitting a DA councillor in his face with a glass mug during a council brawl in Port Elizabeth.
A meeting of nine provinces led by the crisis committee said they were reclaiming the league. The committee was concerned about the moribund youth structures in the hands of the “eldership”, a term they used for the NYTT members who were mainly over the youth league eligible age of 35 years.
Luwaca said their attempts to meet the ANC and letters and memorandum they sent to Luthuli House, including to party secretary-general Ace Magashule, had failed. Last month, the youth picketed all ANC provincial offices demanding that the NYTT be disbanded.
“We further cited in our memorandum that if the ANC leadership continues to arrogantly ignore the demands of the youth, we will be left with no option but to approach the courts for an appropriate remedy to this crisis we find ourselves in as young people,” Luwaca said.
“We shall be delivering our interdict to the ANC on Friday, 6 November, through a national march of concerned young people from all over the country.”
NYTT spokesperson Sizophila Mkhize did not return any calls and ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe could not be reached for comment.
– ericn@citizen.co.za
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