Members of the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League in Mpumalanga have picketed at the ANC’s Provincial offices in Mbombela on Friday.
They also submitted a memorandum of demands. Amongst other things, they are demanding that the current provincial leadership of the youth league not be recognised.
They say the ANC provincial leaders should not allow the youth league to participate in the party’s meetings. The members claim that the term of office of the ANCYL Provincial Executive Committee expired three years ago.
Bongmusa Maluka, who participated in the picket, says people who claim to be ANCYL provincial leaders are misleading the society.
“As young people, we feel that there are people who continue to represent us out (of) misrepresentation. They assert themselves to be provincial executive members of the ANCYL that expired some three years ago. Therefore, we are here to raise our grievances as young people to say the PEC must not recognise these people to continue sitting in the extended meeting of the ANC. The PEC of the ANC has a duty – a revolutionary duty to safeguard the ANC. Failure to safeguard that structure, renders the voice of young people irrelevant in society.”
In July last year, a task team was established after the Youth League, led by Collen Maine, repeatedly failed to organise a national elective conference.
The national youth task team was put into place to get the ANC Youth League up and running again.
Another ANCYL member Samukelisiwe Sungule says there is no PEC in ANCYL. “In fact, the ANC has done injustice to the young people to even appoint such a structure hence now young people are regrouping, uniting themselves forming their own thing that is going to fight the injustice inside the ANC. A country without the focus youth is the country with no future. So, the youth is important in our country, hence we are crying out loud that old people must recognise the Youth league so that the ANC can live forever.”
Meanwhile, the ANC in Mpumalanga has accepted the memorandum and has told the young people that it will receive the necessary attention.
ANC provincial spokesperson, Sasekani Manzini says the ANC received the memorandum. “As the ANC, we have received the memorandum and we shall process it accordingly. I can’t respond on the memorandum and we have received the memorandum and the PEC will process the memorandum.”
The disgruntled members of the ANCYL in Mpumalanga vowed that if the ANC fails to heed to their call, they will approach the courts to address the matter.
