Ill-disciplined KZN Youth League to be taught political lesson by ANC

INTENSE political lessons have been arranged for the ANC Youth League in KwaZuluNatal to stop its ill-disciplined practice of campaigning for AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma ahead of the party opening the succession debate.

ANC provincial secretary Super Zuma told a media conference in Durban yesterday that the lessons were learnt at the follow-up to a meeting last year where the youth league’s behaviour was discussed.

“Sometimes you educate people through political discussion. That is why we want to meet with the leadership of the ANCYL, particularly the PWC (provincial working committee) of the ANCYL,” he said.

Zuma was briefing journalists about arrangements for the KwaZulu-Natal January 8 statement rally to be addressed by provincial chairman Sihle Zikalala and ANC Treasurer-General Zweli Mkhize in KwaDukuza Municipality, on the north coast, on Sunday.

He said during last year’s meeting between himself and the league’s provincial secretary Thanduxolo Sabelo, he had an understanding that the league had understood and regretted its mistake.

However, this week Sabelo made it clear that the league did not regret having prematurely endorsed Dlamini Zuma to take over from President Jacob Zuma as the leader of the ruling party.

The succession debate has already started to divide the ANC between Dlamini Zuma’s backers – ANCYL, MK Veterans and the ANC Women’s League – and supporters of deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa – Cosatu-aligned ANC supporters.

“But whether they are insisting that there is nothing wrong our (previous) discussions indicated that we are on one page, that it was wrong to pronounce before the ANC says the discussions can start,” Zuma said.

ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa had this week condemned party structures that had started nominating candidates for the December conference as being divisive.

Zuma said the province would abide by the national executive committee’s decision to cease all succession discussion, and focus on uniting the organisation and formulating guidelines for discussions during the policy conference and the elective conference.

Zuma said the political discussion, which had since been scheduled for “the next two or three weeks” would help the youth league to toe the line.

“We were trying to convene a meeting for (next) Monday where the officials of the ANC would be meeting with them. The meeting has since been postponed because of some logistical arrangements.

“Some of our officials would be out of the country,” Zuma said.

He said the seriousness of the engagement with the ANCYL would require top five members of the provincial executive committee from both sides to be involved.

“The whole PWC should be there just to discuss politically what it means to conduct ourselves within the principles and values of the organisation,” said Zuma.

However, he had little hope the meeting would immediately yield positive results.

“Such things won’t be an event, comrades would have to be engaged,” he said.

Sabelo said the league had accepted the invitation to discuss the matter.

He said their decision to break the ANC instructions had not created tensions between the league and its mother body.

“If the ANC thinks we have overstepped the mark, it is traditional that they meet with us and explain those things to us and we agree with them.

“We are always happy for strategic political direction that the ANC gives.

“We always accept their wisdom,” said Sabelo.

ANC chairman for Greater KwaDukuza Ricardo Mthembu said all the branches in his region had agreed on who should be the next party president, but they would make the pronouncement once the National Executive Council opened the succession debate.

We are always happy for strategic political direction that the ANC gives