Zuma loyalty divides youth league

‘I refuse to be captured by old people (in the ANC)’

INFIGHTING within the ANC Youth League over who will be the party’s next deputy president has seen the league’s provincial secretary, Andile Mbali, being served with a 15-day suspension letter, pending an investigation.

But Mbali laughed it off, saying he was still the league’s provincial secretary and would go ahead with his usual tasks despite facing the axe.

The ANCYL is split over whether to support Minister of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane or Mpumalanga Premier David “DD” Mabuza.

What complicates matters is that Mabuza is part of the “Premier League” faction of the ANC, who are allies of President Jacob Zuma, while Mokonyane is also viewed as a Zuma ally.

According to a source in the ANCYL, Mbali sent out a letter to members of the league’s provincial executive, stating they should not attend a league meeting “even after he had sent his apologies”.

The meeting, which was held in Hawston, “quorated” – meaning the required number of provincial working committee (50%+1) members were present.

Mbali’s deputy, Marissa van Rensburg, said she gave notice because of his temporary suspension and for the letter he sent to the provincial executive members on October 13, “which is a grave offence and undermines a fully constituted provincial working committee meeting, which he had termed illegal”.

Van Rensburg said the decisions made in the Hawston meeting were “fully constitutional”.

“The letter was sowing divisions and the letter to call for his temporary suspension came from an ANCYL provincial executive meeting on October 16 in Worcester.”

Mbali said the first time he saw the letter was yesterday, when it was e-mailed to him.

“I received it and I responded that I can’t be suspended by my deputy.”

According to him, the decision to suspend him was taken at “some picnic, where decisions were taken”.

“I understand why some people would want me out. I refuse to be captured by old people (in the ANC).”

More than a year away from the ANC’s elective conference, Mbali said there were party leaders in the Western Cape and nationally who were already trying to influence members of the youth league.

“Some of these ANCYL leaders are owned by people in the ANC, I’m not one of them.”