SACP defends Mathabatha from ANCYL
THE South African Communist Party (SACP) in Limpopo has come out guns blazing, accusing the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in the province of being used in the fight to oust premier Stanley Mathabatha.
The league’s leadership has been at the forefront of calls for the axing of Mathabatha, saying he had failed to deal with youth development issues since he was appointed to the position in 2013.
Mathabatha, who can be credited with bringing stability to the province after taking over a collapsed government, has been at the receiving end of members of the league.
But the SACP believed members of the league who were calling for Mathabatha’s head were being used to fight political battles.
SACP provincial spokesman Machike Thobejane yesterday said they believed the league’s concerted fight to have Mathabatha removed from his position had a lot to do with the ANC’s elective conference in December.
“We have observed a trend whereby each time members of the ANC Youth League leadership in the province opened their mouths about Mathabatha they have been critical of the man, thereby ignoring his achievements in a short space of time he had been leading this province,” said Thobejane.
He said they had tried to convene a meeting with the league leadership to deliberate on the issues they had against Mathabatha without any success.
“As the SACP we have knocked at the doors of the ANCYL to try and seek an audience with the leadership to no avail, hence we decided to act against their call.”
He said the party was committed to working together with the league’s leadership “only if their fight is done in the name of empowering the youth and not certain individuals in the league”.
Provincial spokesman for the league, Matome Moremi, said they had instructed the league’s provincial secretary to convene a meeting.
“We were caught by surprise by the allegations made by the SACP. We take those allegations very seriously and it’s worrying that an alliance partner can just wake up and make such allegations about us. We want them to substantiate on why they say we are being used.”
He said the meeting would be held “soon”.