Maine is forever unavailable and missing in action, complain ANCYL members

ANC Youth League members picketed in protest against those who have overstayed their terms of leadership in the league outside a meeting of the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) in Pretoria yesterday.

Led by Thabo Mabotja of the Philip Legodi branch in Seshego, Polokwane, the protesting ANCYL members want the party’s top leaders to intervene. Mabotja cited youth league leaders such as Collen Maine as having overstayed their mandated tenure. Those appointed to the youth league’s NEC in 2015, had not stepped down from their positions after three years, as stipulated by the ANCYL’s constitution, he claimed.

“People seem to have forgotten the mandate given to them is only for three years. “They have extended that mandate. As a result, they are in direct conflict with the constitution of the ANCYL.”

He said members were accusing Maine of focusing more on his government post and the “blue-light brigade” than on leading the youth.

“Maine is forever unavailable and missing in action. When we are campaigning, he is nowhere to be seen. “The NEC of the youth league hasn’t met since June 2018. There’s no longer a structure. Collen Maine is no longer leading us.”

As a result, the young people of South Africa have lost faith in the ANCY, Mabotja added.

“We have been engaging with young people via social media and they have raised their dissatisfaction with the current status quo of the ANCYL. They say it is no longer attractive to young people. Other political parties are now attracting the young people.”

This was the reason for the poor turnout of young voters in the May 8 national general elections, he said.

“This is a warning shot from young people. If we don’t put our house in order, we will be punished in the 2021 local elections and we will lose more than three metros. We are asking our leaders in the ANC to do the right thing and disband the youth league leadership because they no longer represent the young people.”

“We, as the young lions of Peter Mokaba, coming from all corners of South Africa, will be protesting peacefully for now, calling for the immediate disbandment of the ANC Youth League, before or during Youth Month.”

The picketers were met by ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe, who was handed their memorandum ahead of the NEC meeting. He said he would present their issues to the ANC leaders for discussion.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.