War of words over legitimacy of PTT
A WAR of words has erupted over the legitimacy of the ANC Youth League’s provincial task team (PTT) after the ANC in the province revealed they did not “recognise” the newly established structure.
The PTT was established by the league’s national executive committee (NEC) recently after they had disbanded the league’s troubled provincial executive committee (PEC) in November.
The verbal showdown comes a few days after ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane wrote a letter on Saturday saying any decision taken by the PTT was not recognised until the disbanded youth league PEC’s appeal has been dealt with by the mother body’s PEC.
“This serves to remind all regions about the ANC PEC’s resolution that no Eastern Cape ANCYL provincial structure will be recognised, including the PTT, until the ANC NEC resolves the disbandment dispute.
“Consequently, the decisions of the PTT are not recognised. This includes the decision to disband five ANCYL regional executive committees,” wrote Mabuyane, who could not be reached for comment at the time of writing yesterday.
The letter was written on the same day as the youth league’s Alfred Nzo region – which was dissolved by the PTT – held its elective conference.
Yesterday, the PTT fired back in a scathing letter to Mabuyane, telling him and his PEC to back off from league matters.
They said they were not pleased that they only saw Mabuyane’s letter on social media and that it was never officially handed over to them by the provincial secretary.
The PTT’s provincial coordinator Ntombikayise Mnyengeza hit back in a three-page letter saying that the league was an autonomous body and that Mabuyane’s letter “was creating confusion rather than providing clarity”.
“The ANCYL is an autonomous body operating within the overall discipline of the ANC. It has its own constitution which allows it to take its own decisions without asking permission from the ANC.
“The matter of appeal as explained in your letter, creates more confusion to the structures of the organisation, rather than providing clarity,” Mnyengeza told Mabuyane.
Mnyengeza said in both the ANC and its leagues, an appeal by an aggrieved party does not change the decision of the structure, “in this case, the NEC of the ANCYL to disband the ANCYL’s PEC of the Eastern Cape.
“Your letter seems to be rewriting this principle by suggesting if a structure appeals against a conference, the outcomes of the conference are suspended pending the outcome of the appeal.”
Mnyengeza said Mabuyane’s letter was creating a “serious political blunder”.
Mabuyane’s letter comes just weeks after the PTT resolved to support the retention of ANC provincial chair Phumulo Masualle for a third term when the province hosts its elective conference in July.
Mabuyane is said to be also eyeing the position, with the PTT saying his letter was a way of garnering support for his campaign. —