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Young Communists and youth league face off in cradle wars

The first signs of discord among the ANC alliance’s youth organisations started to show yesterday when the Young Communist League attacked the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) as the leadership battle lines were drawn. 

In two statements from its national office and Gauteng provincial office, the communist league accused the ANCYL of using education and other problems facing the youth to raise “political issues”.

This followed a statement on Thursday in which the league accused Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande as having failed to deliver free education since he became minister in 2009.

In its first statement, that was later withdrawn, the communist league reminded the youth league leadership that implementing the ANC election manifesto was not a task for one person, but the entire ANC and government.

Communist league national spokesperson Khaya Xaba called on the ANC to intervene and “to look into that type of behaviour or else the movement will become disunited and degenerate into a terminal crisis”.

“We will not fold our arms when such factional utterances are threatening the unity of our movement,” he warned.

About an hour later, the Gauteng provincial secretary of the communist league, Alex Mdakane, said in a second statement: “The youth league officials have clearly made it their priority to pave the way for their masters in further poisoning the environment by raising political matters under the guise of fighting against challenges faced by SA youth. This with a view to discredit Cde (sic) Blade Nzimande’s leadership capacity and try to eliminate any possible disagreeing voice to their ill-advised role they seek to please their managers with.”

The accusations come amid speculation that the so- called Premier League is behind the election of the new leadership of the youth league and the ANC Women’s League.

The Premier League refers to a lobby group seen to be driven by the premiers of Free State (Ace Magashule), North West (Supra Mahumapelo) and Mpumalanga (David Mabuza) who, with the support of the leagues and their constituencies, can play an important kingmaker role in the 2017 national conference.

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