ANCYL KZN victorious – all its PGC proposals adopted
THE ANC Youth League in KwaZulu-Natal emerged victorious from the ANC provincial general council (PGC), that adopted all the ANCYL’s policy proposals for further debate at the national policy conference to take place in Johannesburg this weekend.
Among the ANCYL’s issues adopted were the:
Scrapping of the minimum experience requirement for government entry-level posts;
Allocation of 35% of government tenders to young people;
Radical economic transformation; and
Introduction of a second deputy secretary-general post in the ANC leadership.
Thanduxolo Sabelo, ANCYL provincial secretary, said after winning the hearts of the ANC in the province, the ANCYL was now on a drive to influence other provinces to support its policy proposals and were “quite confident” the other provinces would do so.
He said the ANCYL was talking to the national executive committee to support the proposals as well.
“There had been talk that we are no longer influential and that the youth league is dead. In fact, the youth league is back by popular demand. If the whole general council of the ANC in KZN, which is the biggest province in the country, can just carbon copy all resolutions of the ANCYL, it must tell you that the ANCYL has arrived and it is very influential within the ANC,” said Sabelo.
Mandla Shange, ANCYL provincial spokesperson, said that the majority of issues adopted at the PGC, held at the University of Zululand, were initiated by the ANCYL in the province. The adopted issues would be debated at the national event in Johannesburg.
Sihle Zikalala, ANC provin- cial chairperson, told delegates that the ANC should make most issues advanced by the youth its policies. He said the party should deliver free education for the poor.
“We must never be found wavering on the call for free education. We should be bold to say ‘yes the ANC has the policy for free education, but we are not yet in a position to implement it’,” he said.
Zikalala said the scrapping of the minimum experience requirement would deal with “increasing army of unemployed young graduates”. He said young people remained unemployed because they lack required experience.
“At this level we are not talking about senior positions. At a government level the entry post, which is for just a junior clerk with a degree or an honours, we should consider supporting the ANCYL to do away with the requirement of experience,” he said.
The ANCYL also at the provincial level won its fight for the expropriation of land without compensation as part of radical economic transformation.
Zikalala said the province would at the national policy conference influence delegates from other provinces to support KZN on the issue of land.
“We are firm and unanimous on the importance of land redistribution without compensation.
“We are firm and unanimous on the necessity to advance the radical economic transformation,” he said.