Provincial ANCYL dumps three regions
‘Move may be fuelled by battle over chairmanship’
THE Eastern Cape ANC Youth League provincial task team has disbanded three regional structures – a move seen by some as a way of dealing with those against provincial chairman Phumulo Masualle’s bid for third term.
The biggest casualty has been former ANCYL provincial chairman Ayanda Matiti’s Buffalo City ANCYL regional task team (RTT), whose structure was disbanded together with those of Nelson Mandela Metro and Sarah Baartman.
The decisions were taken in the absence of a long-time Matiti ally, PTT convenor Mziwonke Ndabeni, who is aligned to Oscar Mabuyane’s campaign for the ANC provincial chair.
The PTT coordinator, Ntombikayise Mnyengeza – a Masualle supporter – was instead running the show at the meeting, which also sacked Amathole ANCYL RTT coordinator Mphuthumi Duba.
Ndabeni reacted with shock when he learnt from the Daily Dispatch yesterday that his ally Matiti’s Buffalo City RTT had been dissolved.
“There was no PTT meeting yesterday [on Sunday] as far as I am concerned as the convenor of meetings of the PTT – the next meeting is on July 30,” said Ndabeni.
But the Dispatch can further reveal that it was in the meeting held at Calata House on Sunday that the Mnyengeza-led PTT faction resolved to report Ndabeni to the Collen Maine-led ANCYL national executive committee to “deal with him” for “his ill-disciplined conduct of defining himself outside the PTT”.
At the centre of the divisions wreaking havoc in the PTT is the upcoming ANC provincial elective conference.
On one side is a faction led by Ndabeni which wants Mabuyane to ascend to the party’s top job while in the opposing camp is Mnyengeza and his supporters, who are rallying behind Masualle.
“The ANCYL PTT further resolved to re-affirm its position to support Comrade Phumulo Masualle, as the only ready, tried and tested comrade that should [lead] the ANC in the province,” said Mnyengeza.
The PTT further pulled the rug from under Ndabeni’s feet after they resolved to support Joe Gqabi’s Zolile Williams for the position of provincial secretary even though they had wanted Ndabeni at first.
This also puts strain on Andile Lungisa’s ambitions of occupying the provincial secretary position.
But the PTT will not be supporting the Masualle campaign if it does not include their own.
The structure has endorsed the name of Mnyengeza for deputy provincial secretary while giving Thandiswa Marawu the nod for provincial treasurer and Sakhumzi Somyo for deputy chair.
When Matiti was called for comment, he said he would not dignify their “so-called” disbandment with a comment.
“I seriously do not have time to respond to people who have time for games playing with aspirations of young people of the province,” said Matiti.
Ndabeni on the other side has since called for his own PTT meeting scheduled for July 30.
He said he was preoccupied with the ongoing branch general meetings wherein nominations for the provincial conference were taking place.
“This process is very critical because it is our life and death,” said Ndabeni. —