YCL slams ruling party’s ‘big brother’ role in alliance
The ANC is on a collision course with the Young Communist League, the youth wing of the SACP, which accuses the ruling party of continuing to act like a “big brother” in the tripartite alliance.
This is not the first time the ANC has been accused of treating its alliance partners – the SACP and Cosatu – like distant cousins and only consulting the communists and the labour federation when they need foot soldiers to campaign for elections.
In an interview, newly-elected YCL first national deputy secretary Andile Mosha said the ANC 2018 discussion document on a reconfigured alliance was a clear indication that the ANC wanted to preserve the status quo.
“The alliance is not going to be reconfigured in any way because of the arrogant narrative driven by the ANC. In its discussion document, the ANC is clear that it prefers the status quo, which disadvantages its alliance partners,” he said.
Tensions between the alliance partners and the ANC reached boiling point in the months leading up to the 2016 municipal elections, which resulted in its allies demanding a review of the arrangement.
The YCL elected new national leaders at its elective congress at the University of Fort Hare on Sunday. Four Eastern Cape members made it to its 25 member national executive.
Together with Mosha, national committee members include Khalipha Nelani from Sarah Baartman region, Avuma Mdini and Simbongile Gulwa from the Buffalo City Metro region.
Mosha said in their central committee meeting, they had a discussion document that “clearly spelt out that the ANC prefers to put itself as a bigger brother and its alliance partners as its juniors”.
He said while the YCL might not have the same view as the mother body, there was evidence which supported their views.
In his address at the YCL Congress at the weekend, SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande said at their congress in July, the communists considered its configuration to be outdated. He emphasised the necessity for the alliance to act as a strategic political centre rather than the ANC on its own.
“The call for the reconfiguration of the alliance to act as a strategic political centre can be traced to the resolution of the 12th congress of the SACP on state power. Given our collective experience since then, both the SACP and Cosatu agree that the achievement of a reconfigured alliance requires a deepgoing process of class struggle involving building an ever strong organisation on the ground,” he said.