Fikile Mbalula denies hidden hand in ANCYL leadership race, warns league to focus on youth matters

• The ANC Youth League Congress began on Saturday at the Nasrec conference centre in Joburg after more than a day of delays due to registration of delegates. 
• ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula gave an opening address on Saturday and denied having a hidden interest in who leads the ANCYL. 
• The league's fist political report in close to a decade was read to delegates by ANC Gauteng member Fasiha Hassan who warned the league to divorce themselves from ANC political dynamics, a mistake the league made for years under previous leaders. 

A cloud of concern about branch audits and the adoption of credentials marked the start of the ANC Youth League conference, with ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula denying his hidden hand may have influenced the preparation for the event.  

The first ANC league conference in eight years started with as much chaos as expected, with a day of delays because registration only saw the conference start late on Saturday afternoon.  

In the lead up to the event, concerns were raised about the auditing of branches and delegates being sidelined and excluded.

The removal of a member of ANC NYTT, Xola Nqola, also sparked much concern about Mbalula's actions and involvement.  

Nqola was removed as a convenor of the ANCYL national task team because of his involvement in overseeing the running of an illegal ANCYL provincial conference in the Eastern Cape.  

Mbalula opened the conference by spitting fire and denials about accusations that he was interested in who was elected to lead the league. Mbalula said his actions against Nqola were appropriate to deal with ill-discipline.

He said the young ANC Member of Parliament was not elected as a convenor, but was appointed – meaning his removal could be justified by the ANC leadership.  

"I do not decide who leads the Youth League; the last time I got involved was with Julius Malema. I have no fear this time, so why would I get involved in who leads the ANC Youth League?" Mbalula asked.  

"He (Nqola) is not suspended. I told him the right to lead is not a privilege, and we can withdraw it. That issue cannot delay the youth league conference.  "The ANC guides these processes. We have arrived at the conference and will decide the way forward. We have lost time in terms of registration. We have to manage our things as a ruling party. There is no meddling by the ANC in terms of running this conference," Mbalula said.  

He told delegates to stop obsessing about the ANC national leadership and who would lead the ANC in 2027 once President Cyril Ramaphosa steps down as party leader.  

READ | ANCYL congress kicks off with some (un) expected drama

He said young people were hungry for an ANC youth league to address pressing issues about unemployment and the electricity crisis.

In her political report as the national convenor of the ANCYL, Fasiha Hassan told delegates that the first congress in nearly a decade was an opportunity for the league to reclaim its autonomy. 

 She said many of the league's previous leaders attached themselves to the national leadership and the internal politics of the mother body. She said renewal means the league reclaiming its own identity. 

"If the ANCYL is to survive the next phase of its existence, it must assert its autonomy. While we exist within the framework of the ANC and broader MDM, our standing as an organisation has been compromised by leaders attached to elders at the hip. We must break from this habit and determine our path as young people," Hassan, an ANC Gauteng league member, said.  

A key area Hassan said the league should focus on is the high unemployment rate among young people. She said the unemployment crisis was a ticking time bomb.  

"The bomb will explode, and we, as the Youth League, will not be spared. Unfortunately, South Africa remains subject to the global economy, which is skewed to favour developed countries. But this cannot be used as a cop-out to absolve our leadership from taking responsibility for opening the economy for young people.

"We must be more aggressive in utilising our political power to create reforms that will supply jobs and opportunities for young people. We need to address corruption in the state and the private sector that robs us as young people of these opportunities," Hassan said.  

Leadership slates 

The conference was expected to sit for much of Saturday night and into Sunday morning. 

There is an expectation that leadership nominations will be finalised tonight after the adoption of credentials.  

Credentials will be a thorny issue because there was much in-fighting among members about the exclusion of some delegates. 

 READ | Will Collen Malatji's ANCYL presidency bid be challenged from congress floor nominations?

When the nominations for the leadership slates are announced, a fierce contest might emerge if an opposing slate is nominated from the floor.  So far, only the slate, "economic freedom or death" led by Gauteng ANC YL member Collen Malatji emerged from branch nominations.  

ANC Youth League conference leadership slate led by presidency nominee Collen Malatji.

supplied

An opposing slate led by ANC Eastern Cape Chris Hani region leader Aphiwe Makhangelwa, which features Thuthukile Zuma as a treasurer-general candidate, may be nominated from the conference floor.  

Those who seek their names added to the ballot must meet a threshold of several delegates before they can be added.  

The league's conference is expected to be concluded on Sunday, with President Cyril Ramaphosa closing the conference.