ANCYL region deeply divided as elections loom
National and provincial structures have to elect new leadership groups
The ANC Youth League has set a target of electing new national leaders by the end of September. In a drive to ensure that all branches across provinces meet this deadline, secretary-general Njabulo Nzuza wrote a letter to all provincial and regional structures on Monday.
It instructs them to revive their branches in preparation for the elective meeting, at a venue still to be announced.
The announcement comes while provinces, among them the Eastern Cape, have yet to elect provincial leaders.
However, Dr WB Rubusana regional chairperson Luvo John said having a task team in Calata House wouldn’t prevent Eastern Cape branches from taking part in the elective conference in three months’ time.
“As long as we are able to convene a regional general council [RGC] meeting to firm up decisions made by branches when it comes to policies and leadership preferences, we will be ready to take part in the elective national conference,” said John.
However, the Dispatch understands that ANCYL members in Dr WB Rubusana will go to both the RGC and the national conference in September as a deeply divided structure, as the regional executive suspended its outspoken regional secretary Anele Desmond Davis on Tuesday.
This was after the Dispatch reported that the region, led by John, wants Buffalo City Metro mayor Xola Pakati replaced with ANC regional chairperson Pumlani Mkolo, ostensibly to avoid “two centres of power”.
In a follow-up story published on Wednesday, the Dispatch quoted Davis distancing himself from such a decision, saying it was never a regional executive committee (REC) decision, but a decision taken by John and his faction.
John confirmed the decision to suspend Davis, but said it was taken during a special REC meeting. “We first learnt of Davis’s decision to distance himself from the YL’s very own conference decision on doing away with two centres of power, when he posted his statement on social media on Tuesday. And as a result we convened a special REC.
“This is where the REC resolved to suspend him and assign Lubabalo Mati, the elected deputy secretary, as acting ANCYL regional secretary in Rubusana,” said John.
But Davis came out with guns blazing on Thursday, saying he remains the Rubusana ANCYL regional secretary “because that meeting was not properly constituted. It was attended by a faction.”
John said that was not true, as the Tuesday meeting was attended by at least 11 of the 18 elected REC members.
He said it was not the first time that Davis had acted against an REC decision.
“In January, we resolved to suspend him because he was not writing any reports as required of him in the ANC constitution. Instead, he wrote a letter to Calata House while we had resolved to suspend him, but because we were all glued to electioneering towards May, we kept quiet.
“We have reached a stage at which we had to say enough is enough,” said John.
Responding to these allegations, Davis said: “If they know that I was suspended in January, why am I still in office? They must give me the attendance register to confirm that the Tuesday ‘caucus’ was a properly constituted REC meeting.”
If they know I was suspended in January, why am I still in office?
Anele Desmond Davis
ANCYL Dr YB Rubusana regional secretary