Overlooked in ANCYL leadership race, Gauteng MPL Fasiha Hassan tops NEC list

• The ANC Youth League held its elective congress at the weekend. 
• The league elected six people to lead its national structure after not having a permanent structure for eight years.
• It also elected a 40-member national executive committee.

Former Fees Must Fall activist-turned-Gauteng MPL Fasiha Hassan has topped the list of ANC Youth League (ANCYL) national executive committee (NEC) members. 

She garnered 1 297 votes. 

Hassan was a member of the ANCYL National Task team that played a critical role in paving the way for an elective conference after it had no permanent leadership structure for eight years. 

She raised her political profile during the university protests that galvanised students to call for a no-fee structure in higher education in 2015.  

Hassan oversaw the ANCYL's first political report in almost a decade. 

A Gauteng MPL since 2019, she gave a grim diagnosis of where the ANCYL stood since its last election eight years ago. 

She told delegates it was important the ANCYL divorced itself from the politics of the mother body and look within and to work at firming up its political stance based on issues impacting young people, especially unemployment, which she described as a ticking time bomb. 

Its NEC, which consists of 40 members, is equally split between male and female members.

The ANCYL's leaders conceded the racial disparity of its leadership fell short of diversity.

It took the bulk of Sunday afternoon to finalise nominations of additional executive members because branches and regions debated about which members they desired to be elected to the NEC. 

There was some unhappiness about the composition of the new executive, with ANCYL leader Collen Malatji being accused of isolating allies who backed him ahead of the conference. 

Malatji, in a press briefing on Monday, said the ANCYL had reclaimed its autonomy. 

He described the conference as peaceful despite the unhappiness of some members about branch audits and some branches being barred from participating at the conference. 

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Malatji said the ANCYL was ready to reclaim the voice of the youth and those seeking refuge from being overworked and underpaid, including journalists who spent the weekend covering the conference. 

"We want to be known as the leadership that addresses the youth's issues.

"The majority of young people still remain unemployed; the majority of young people are affected by crime.

"The economy should reflect the dynamics of this country." 

He added:

Regarding unhappiness and claims some regions were barred from attending the conference, ANCYL treasurer Zwelo Masilela said those who were unhappy about processes "were causing a storm in a teacup". 

He added those who thought about taking the ANCYL to court would fail dismally.