Fikile Mbalula urges ANC Youth League to spearhead ANC's revival efforts

ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has called on the ANC Youth League to help its mother body to win back power, which was lost at the outcome of the last general elections. 

Addressing hundreds of delegates who attended the closing session of the league’s 2nd National General Council in Kimberly, Northern Cape, on Friday, Mbalula said the general elections result, which gave birth to the Government of National Unity, demanded that the ANC must sharpen its focus and leverage its state power to improve the lives of all citizens. 

He said the support decline showed that the ANC did not have the luxury of infighting.

“The ANCYL is going to be in the forefront and at the centre of the struggle of ensuring that the ANC wins back power.

“Comrade bickering and infighting, and the choice of leadership you want, is not what South Africa wants,” said Mbalula. 

He said that for comrades to hate each other would not help the ANC to recover lost ground.

“You may despise that comrade and like that one, but South Africans are not looking for that from us, but they want leadership for real, real change for their lives,” said Mbalula.

He said young people need leadership from the ANCYL. 

“We don’t expect Collen (Malatji - ANCYL president) to speak like President Ramaphosa, but we want him to lead the youth.

“But we don’t want him to be reckless, we don’t want directionless militancy.” 

He said the ANC has introduced the foundational political leadership course for the league.   

Mbalula also announced that the ANC would, from Saturday (tomorrow), hold its special national executive committee (NEC) meeting focusing on local governments' performances, in Johannesburg.

“That NEC is very special and very important because it must produce the programme of interaction for local governments of the ANC. 

“That meeting will culminate in a rollout call of all our councillors in the country,” said Mbalula.

He said he negotiated with President Cyril Ramaphosa to address the ANCYL rally to be held in Galeshewe on Saturday, but did not indicate whether the president agreed.  

The ANCYL indicated during the event that it wanted to be given powers to provide political training for its members and be able to hold those deployed in government accountable. 

Malatji said the league was currently over-reliant on its mother body, the ANC.

He said the aim of the event held at Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre was to look for means to renew the league’s performance to drive the agenda of economic freedom and social change, “Now, Not Later!” 

He said the ANCYL needed to have a clear distinction of how to provide political training for young people who join the ANCYL from universities, high schools, and those who were not from education and training facilities.

“Members of the ANCYL did not go to the foundation courses, and members of the ANC went to the OR Tambo School of Leadership and never finished the courses. 

“There is a clear distinction between the cadre policy of the ANCYL and the OR Tambo School of Leadership document.” 

He said the league’s political education subcommittee would soon create a cadre policy that speaks about the skills, attitude, and technical capabilities required in the league, ANC, and the government.

Malatji said that as a result of the lack of a cadre policy, the league was facing factionalism, ill-discipline, and disunity fuelled by state resources. 

He said that currently, once ANCYL members are deployed in government, they cease to be there on behalf of the league, but they are there on behalf of the ANC. 

“The ANCYL cannot take responsibility while the deputy president of the ANCYL, who is the deputy minister, is falling short and experiencing challenges. 

“We are unable to apply cadre policies to be able to assist our members to better the movement, but also to flourish in the work that they do. 

“At times, we had members of the ANCYL who have challenges in the duties that they are performing, but as the youth league, we do not have a fall-back position to say what can be done on behalf of the ANCYL to ensure that we work around their behaviour and that they represent the structure to the best of their capabilities,” said Malatji. 

bongani.hans@inl.co.za