ANCYL in KZN awaits secretary-general cue

THE ANC Youth League in KwaZulu-Natal is waiting for its national structure to guide it on who it should support to become the next ANC secretary-general during the party’s elective conference late next year.

League provincial secretary Thanduxolo Sabelo said yesterday the league did not have a problem with supporting Free State Premier Ace Magashule to take over the position, currently held by Gwede Mantashe, but would prefer to wait for the national guidance.

At the weekend, Magashule was endorsed by the youth league in his province to become secretarygeneral at the conference next year. The league in Free State had also supported its counterparts in KZN in the campaign for AU Commission chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to lead the party when President Jacob Zuma’s term as head of the ruling party comes to an end.

It is believed that the youth league in KZN, the Free State, North West and Mpumalanga were united on who should succeed Zuma.

However, Sabelo said the KZN league would not jump into supporting Free State’s endorsement for Magashule, but would wait to be guided by the league’s national leadership.

“But we generally have no problem with bra Ace. We want leaders of the ANC to have the people’s confidence,” said Sabelo.

He said the provincial league had announced its support for Dlamini-Zuma only after its mother body had done so. “We are waiting for the ANCYL nationally to lead us on who must be secretary-general,” he said.

Others in with a chance were Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa and Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza, he added.