ANCYL president allays security fears at elective conference

Despite fears of disruptions and possible violence, ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji says the league’s Gauteng elective conference will go ahead as planned.

The league will hold its first elective conference in Johannesburg this weekend after 10 years of being disbanded.

However, there are reports of possible disruptions because of factional disputes and threats of violence from some branches.

Stronger than ever?

In July, the ANC’s National Working Committee (NWC) appointed a task team to rebuild the provincial structures.

The conference was expected to be held earlier this month but was postponed because of administrative issues.

In an interview with The Citizen on Thursday, Malatji said he expects the ANC Youth League to emerge stronger after the conference.

“We are building a very tight ship from scratch,” he said.

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Tensions denied, challenges acknowledged

He dismissed allegations of possible violence and factional battles.

“I do not know where the media is getting these things,” he said.

However, he said he expected the rebuilding process to be challenging because of the current political climate.

“We are doing our best to build a strong organisation under the difficult conditions,” he said.

The ANC Youth League has played an important role in South African politics since its formation in the 1940s.

It has produced leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Fikile Mbalula and Julius Malema.

How relevant is the ANC Youth League?

Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast, a political analyst from Nelson Mandela University (NMU), told The Citizen on Friday that the youth league is still an important part of the ANC.

“It is the youth league in the 40s that brought about an element of radicalism that changed the trajectory of the ANC, and we saw people like Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu. The list is endless,” he said.

However, Breakfast said he believes it has lost its steam due to interference from the ANC mother body and influence from businesspeople.

“Many young people have been baptised into political factions in the ANC,” he said.

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