Cape Argus

ANCYL team hits back after local region is disbanded

- Rusana Philander

THE ANC Youth League’s Dullah Omar Regional Task Team is unhappy about the disbandmen­t of the Dullah Omar region and has asked the party’s national leadership to intervene.

On Monday, the party’s provincial executive committee (PEC) announced the disbandmen­t. At a press conference yesterday, the ANCYL said it had sent the letter to Luthuli House outlining their unhappines­s. ANCYL regional co-ordinator Roscoe Jacobs said they wanted the decision rescinded.

“We are also asking that NEC members be deployed in the Western Cape to give guidance as the PEC has failed to do so.”

Luzuko Bashman, regional spokespers­on for the team, said: “We have taken a unanimous decision to challenge and fight the ANC Western Cape PEC’s factional, unconstitu­tional and destructiv­e decision. The Dullah Omar Regional Executive Committee (REC) has put other RECs under administra­tion a few days before the national policy conference where we are expected to be uniting on policy proposals.

“We have resolved to engage the ANC Women’s League and our ANCYL PEC to mobilise all regions to fight against those hell-bent on killing our ANC. We shall join five of the six regions in their fight to rid this province of a corrupt and factional PEC.

“To date, branches have not even received the PEC decision officially through their branch secretarie­s but heard through the media which further exposes an extreme lack of understand­ing regarding internal organisati­onal processes.

“Instead, members, supporters and everyone else who wants to attend are invited to some meeting or rally to communicat­e PEC decisions.”

Lionel Adendorf, chairperso­n of the ANC PEC committee for media and communicat­ion, said yesterday that he was not going to comment on the statements made by the league at the press conference.

On Sunday, three other regions held press conference­s in which they lambasted the disbandmen­t.

Faiez Jacobs, Western Cape ANC provincial secretary, said: “At a PEC meeting held on June 24, a decision was taken to dissolve the Dullah Omar district. It is a cause of concern that the Dullah Omar region which constitute­s more than 70% of the total eligible voters of the Western Cape and the ANC, received only 24.5% of the Cape Town vote yet it only constitute­s 37.2% of the ANC membership.

“The unauthoris­ed press conference and statements by a minority of members of the Western Cape ANC PEC and regional executive members is regrettabl­e and goes against the constituti­on of the ANC, its policies, its values and its practice.

“While there was a debate and disagreeme­nt from a minority of PEC members, the majority were behind the decision to disband the Dullah Omar region. The reasons were given in a report to the PEC and will be communicat­ed to ANC HQ and the NEC.

“The allegation­s and accusation­s made by members of the PEC and some of the RECs are without any basis. The behaviour of these members has been divisive since the provincial congress of 2015.”

THE MAJORITY WERE BEHIND THE DECISION TO DISBAND THE DULLAH OMAR REGION

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