Johannesburg – The ANC is facing another headache after a group of concerned youth league members wrote to it demanding it disband the current ANC Youth League (ANCYL) national task team.
In the 13-page letter written to ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule on Wednesday, the members allege the task team is an unconstitutional structure according to the ANC’s constitution.
The concerned members from the country’s nine provinces want the ANC national office to act on their litany of demands by September 2, 2020.
Among the prominent signatories of the letter are Nonceba Mhlauli, spokesperson for the minister in the Presidency, Jackson Mthembu. She comes from the Dullah Omar region (Cape Town metro) in the Western Cape.
“The so-called NYTT (national youth task team) was at the time composed of, in its entirety, individuals who do not meet the age requirement to be members of the ANCYL as per the constitution of the ANC and that of the ANCYL,” read part of the letter.
The rebels further alleged that since the task team was ushered into office in July last year and tasked with convening an elective conference by January this year, it has failed dismally as branches are in disarray.
“It has been exactly 12 months since the appointment of this structure and the organisation is in a worse situation. All structures are dysfunctional, including the NYTT itself,” they complained.
They dismissed as “illogical” the argument the reason why the ANC included senior national executive committee (NEC) members was that the youth alone would not deliver an elective conference.
“This argument is also unscientific as it suggests that ANC NEC members who are currently part of the NYTT will not use the ANCYL to further their selfish political interests at the detriment of young people,” they contested.
The rebels said Covid-19 should not be blamed for the delay as even by March this year when the country was put on lockdown, the task team was not ready to host a conference.
’’They contested that if the task team was led by young people, they would have even hosted a virtual conference.
Among the demands sent to the ANC was the immediate removal of all individuals above the age of 35 from all structures of the league.
Moreover, they demanded that the ANC NEC disband the NYTT and place all youth matters back to youth and allow it to build the organisation.
Spokesperson of the task team Sizophila Mkhize had not responded to the accusations by the time this report was compiled.
However, Khalid Sayed, provincial chairperson of the league in the Western Cape said it was not true they have been in office illegally and their structures have collapsed.
He said before the Covid-19 lockdown they were working on hosting regional conferences and ultimately a provincial conference.
“So, that is a complete lie, all our structures in the province are functioning and in order,” said Sayed.
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe did not respond to queries about the letter and whether the national office has received it and what their next course of action would be.
Political Bureau