EC youth PTT now wants Mabuyane
Convener defies coordinator and ANCYL’s Maine
THE Eastern Cape ANCYL provincial task team (PTT) has dumped Phumulo Masualle for Oscar Mabuyane in the race for the lucrative ANC provincial chairman position.
This was announced by PTT convener Mziwonke Ndabeni yesterday at a media briefing at Calata House as the race for the provincial leadership heats up.
But notable for her absence was PTT coordinator Ntombikayise Mnyengeza.
According to Ndabeni, it was recommended to head office that Mnyengeza be removed and replaced by Velani Mbiza, who yesterday was his right-hand man.
But ANCYL national president Collen Maine yesterday said Ndabeni and the others were out of order and had no right to remove Mnyengeza.
“We must place it on record that Ntombikayise Mnyengeza is still the coordinator of the youth league PTT in that province,” Maine said.
Mnyengeza described yesterday’s news conference as a “factional gathering”.
On the provincial conference U-turn, after they had thrown their weight behind Masualle early this year, Ndabeni said they had resolved to dump Masualle because people lobbying for him were “anti-youth league”.
However, Ndabeni said they remained resolute that Masualle be considered for the position of ANC provincial secretary on the Mabuyane ticket.
This will throw the Mabuyane lineup into disarray, as they only had Lulama Ngukaitobi’s name for this position.
Both the leading slates have more than a single name for the position of provincial secretary.
Ndabeni said their initial support for Masualle would have been a “political risk” that would not pay off.
“We have been engaging these comrades for the past six months but the hostility from comrades who are supporting that [Masualle] view is anti-youth league,” Ndabeni said.
“It is not like we have a problem with comrade Phumulo as a person – it is the people in charge of his campaign who have personalised the issue by saying there are certain individuals they cannot work with.”
Ndabeni rubbished claims by Mnyengeza that he was being used by his ally, Dr W B Rubusana ANCYL regional task team (RTT) convener Ayanda Matiti, hence the U-turn on Masualle.
Mnyengeza last week charged that Matiti was pulling strings for Ndabeni to shift the position of the PTT and said the RTT would be “dealt” with.
Ndabeni yesterday defended the Matiti-led RTT, saying it would not be disbanded.
“There is no such discussion to disband that RTT because we appointed those structures to deliver the regional and provincial conferences.
“The only thing we are dealing with is the PTT coordinator, who by law is not allowed to be here in Calata House because the office of the coordinator is fulltime in the youth league.”
Mnyengeza was recently appointed community services manager at the Sunday’s River Valley local municipality. —