ANCYL defiant on succession debate

THE ANC Youth League (ANCYL) in KwaZulu-Natal refuses to back down from its mother body’s succession debate and will place the matter at the top of the agenda at its provincial elective conference later this month.

The conference was brought forward from June to February 24 to 26 at a venue still to be confirmed.

Sources within the current leadership said there was no way the succession debate would be ignored.

League provincial spokesperson Mandla Shange said all regions were united behind former AU Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma as their favoured candidate.

“We will have to hear recommendations on people other than Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

“We will look at what kind of a collective will assist Dlamini Zuma to take the ANC to another level,” said Shange.

The ANC national executive committee has ordered members to focus on policy issues to be discussed during the national policy conference in June.

The leadership fears that the succession debate will paralyse the party by intensifying factionalism.

The NEC had imposed the ban as various factions had proposed the names of Dlamini Zuma, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe, ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize and party national chairperson and Speaker Baleka Mbete as possible candidates to lead the party after the December conference.

However, Shange said the league in KwaZuluNatal was within its rights to talk about succession.

The popular view within the regions of the ANCYL in KwaZulu-Natal was that provincial chairman Thami Ngubane would be ousted and replaced by his deputy, Kwazi Mshengu.

It is believed that regions are not happy with Ngubane over policy matters.