Zikalala to take Vets’ League to conference
NEWLY-ELECTED president of the ANC Veterans’ League Snuki Zikalala said the league would attend the party stalwarts’ consultative conference to be held next month.
“The fact that we agreed to support the consultative conference to be held from November 17 to 19 is an indication of our commitment to building unity in the movement.
“This will definitely help our glorious movement to undergo the rebirth that we are so yearning for,” Zikalala said.
He said the consultative conference should be viewed as a platform for the ANC to confront the issues currently plaguing it.
The former head of SABC news was elected to the top post at the weekend, along with Bonsile Phillemon Norushe from the Eastern Cape, who will serve as his deputy.
The league’s secretary, Natso Khumalo, was re-elected, Northern Cape’s Evelyn Lubidla was elected her deputy and Gabriel Moosa from the Western Cape was elected treasurer.
Zikalala, who was recently nominated to serve on the SABC permanent board but did not make the cut, said the league’s conference had reaffirmed its role as the custodians of the ANC’s values and traditions.
“In this regard, we undertook to play a more proactive role in ANC structures at all levels.
“We call on our organisation, the ANC, to support veterans in our efforts to regain our position as leaders of society.”
Zikalala said they were in agreement that the ANC was facing serious challenges.
“Most of our structures are characterised by factionalism, corruption, gatekeeping, patronage and buying of membership and support.
“Importantly, we all agree that if these ills are not addressed decisively, our glorious movement will diminish further and may ultimately be removed from power.”
He added that their conference had also agreed that the Veterans League had not been taken seriously by the ANC.
“The younger generation tends to treat veterans with disdain and we must reclaim our rightful position in society.”
Zikalala said the league also faced challenges of factionalism and divisions.
“This has a negative impact on the ability of veterans to discharge their role or responsibility of being the source of wisdom and guidance to younger generations,” he said.
“A united Veterans League will assist with building unity of the organisation and the country.”
He called on the ANC structures to be “mindful of the imperative to rebuild the dignity and credibility of the movement” in the build-up to the national conference in December.
“We expect our leaders to be ethical and beyond reproach, to be familiar with the policies and positions of the movement and to be grounded among the people.”
‘We must reclaim our rightful position in society’