Don’t turn blind eye to youth
THE ANC must not turn a blind eye to the role of youth in leadership.
Allow me to reproduce the debate in writing from my Facebook page to another level to clarify my standpoint on why it’s important for young people to be considered for senior positions in politics.
The debate should not be undermined by the victory of Nqaba Bhanga as a young leader of the Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape, because the intention of the white liberal party is to attract more young black people in our societies as their support base for the 2019 national elections.
However, a generational mix of leadership is purely a position of the ANC, which intends to build second-layer leadership. I therefore suggest our ANC branches should go back to the discussion document and engage in robust debate why young people should take a leadership role in our political structures.
We need young and energetic people to be all over the show when it comes to young people’s services.
I strongly believe the ANC has strived to produce young, vibrant and quality leaders – we are obliged to choose from them. The likes of Mlibo Qoboshiyane, Stella Ndabeni, Oscar Mabuyane, who can easily interact and work hard to bring back all the youth we have lost to the EFF and the DA.
I won’t turn a blind eye as we march towards the ANC provincial conference. The name of comrade Oscar Mabuyane is flying around and has been suggested by youth structures to succeed the current chairman, comrade Phumulo Masualle.
I agree with those who support Mabuyane as our next chairman, but Masualle must given a task to lead us in the ANC NEC (Ugqatso lwakhe ulifezile). He has done his job and now must progress to the upper level. This notion can give peace and stability to Eastern Cape branches, going to the national conference as a united block.
Also we need to give Mabuyane a clear programme of “what’s to be done” as ANC political head, first to bring back the dignity of the ANC, and to ensure on a daily basis the Mandela Plan is implemented to win back our municipalities.
Mabuyane must make sure the provincial and local government is accountable to the people, deal with corruption and investigate places like Southernwood in Buffalo City Municipality. Bear in mind Southernwood was a power base of the DA until a young brilliant ANC councillor, Pindile Miza, took the reins of power. We need swift changes in the economic hub of East London.
Furthermore, I won’t turn down words of wisdom from tata Nelson Mandela, who says: “Take your opposition party as your mirror”.
As opposition parties plan ahead for 2019, with all their youth in provincial and national parliament, we will start to clean our own house for the future generation, and the son of Diya, Oscar Mabuyane, must lead us to the phase of radical economic transformation.
Thabang Maseko, ANC Yure Mdyogolo BEC member, Eastern Cape