The newly-elected ANC National Youth Task Team says its top priority will be to give young people a credible voice in the governing party again.

The 34-member team has been mandated to prepare for a national congress of the ANC Youth League. It says it wants a genuine structure that will not promote factional battles in the mother body.

ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule introduced the members to the media at the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg.

Below are the proceedings of the briefing:

ANC National Spokesperson, Pule Mabe, says last month the Task Team was disbanded, to the delight of young people who organised themselves under the banner of the ANC Youth League Crisis Committee.

“The team, led by ANC head of Presidency, Sibongile Besani and NEC member Thandi Mahambehlala, was accused of being too old. Now, another effort to revive it,” explains Mabe.

NYTT Convener, Nonceba Mhlauli, says, “We have been tasked (with) rebuilding this organisation. We have not had a proper organisation (for) six to eight years now. We are not assuming that we have all the answers, we are committed to rebuilding and part of that commitment means that we are going to be consultative with people who have gone through this road before.

At a time when the mother body is deeply divided, the new task team wants to ensure that the old guard has no influence on the affairs of young people within the organisation. Instead, they want the voices of young people to be heard again.”

NYTT Coordinator Joy Maimela adds, “It has been very detrimental for us as young people not to have an active and alive youth league. We have lost an opportunity to have a voice in decision-making. The NEC, when it sits and discusses key issues, we are not there.

We do not have a voice as young people. So, we are coming from a premise that says we need to sit a congress. We need to have elected leadership and because of that premise, we are going to make sure that there are no serious tensions or serious conflicts. We are going to be transparent.”

Magashule refuted claims that members of the task team were older than the age limit of 35.

“There is nobody in this task team who is above 35. We have checked and verified that,” he added.

Convener, Mhlauli, has been active in politics from a young age. She served as a Sasco NEC member and is also a member of the Western Cape ANC interim Provincial Committee.

Maimela, who hails from Limpopo, is the coordinator. She has served in the ANCYL NEC of Collen Maine and was touted as the next SG of the ANCYL.

Other members include, Tlangi Mogale, Thuthukile Zuma, Fasiah Hasan Sizophila Mkhize and Lesego Mkhubela.

While the newly-elected NYTT is confident that they will lead the ANCYL to congress, theirs is to ensure that they rebuild the young lions to its former glory.

The task team says it will be meeting this weekend.