Johannesburg - There will be no anarchy in the newly constituted African National Congress Youth League, its president Collen Maine said as he closed the ANCYL’s 25th elective conference in Johannesburg on Sunday.
“We shall never again confuse anarchy with militancy... Anarchy will never happen again in the name of the ANCYL,” Maine said.
He apologised to the ANC leadership for the previous ANCYL leadership that “led the movement astray”.
“We have learnt from our silly mistakes, and to the ANC leadership, we sincerely apologise... However, we remain a young, militant, restless (organisation) in our determination to forge ahead.”
The league would not act independent of the mother body, the ANC. Just a few years ago, the league’s historic ideas and goals were trampled upon, Maine added.
“Never again shall it be that the ANC is insulted in the name of the ANCYL; we cannot define ourselves outside the ANC.”
“We further acknowledge that at some point, ideas were trampled upon, new cultures emerged, as well as radicalism and anarchy, from those charged to lead it... and led it astray instead.”
Turning to the upcoming 2016 local government elections, Maine urged members to start working towards retaining metros such as Tshwane and Johannesburg. The youth, he said, should mobilise and work together to ensure victory at the polls.
He lambasted the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), and said its mandate should be revisited.
“We need to check if the NYDA is serving the youth. The tendency by NYDA leaders to visit provinces to just make promises must stop right here and right now,” he said.
The media-shy Maine emerged as president at the long awaited conference. He denied the existence of the so-called “premiers’ league”, who are alleged to have engineered Maine’s “slate” at the conference.
“The notion of (a) premiers’ league has been given prominence, and even discussed in some quarters. We are of the view that this is wrong; we are not aware of the existence (of) such.”
The so-called premiers’ league, allegedly comprising of ANC leaders such as North West premier Supra Mahumapelo, Free State’s Ace Magashule, and Mpumalanga’s David Mabuza, had reportedly advanced Maine as candidate for the ANCYL presidency.
The move by the premiers was reportedly linked to the election of the new ANC leadership in 2017, when President Jacob Zuma’s tenure ends.
ANCYL Mpumalanga chairman Desmond Moela was elected deputy president and Njabulo Nzuza, the secretary in the Musa Dladla region in KwaZulu-Natal, was elected secretary general. Limpopo’s deputy chairwoman Thandi Moraka was elected Nzuza’s deputy and Reggie Nkabinde from Gauteng’s West Rand took the position of treasurer.
The now defunct ANCYL national task team (NTT) has since denied reports that leaders were imposed on the conference.
The league’s previous leadership, led by Julius Malema, was dissolved in 2013.
Malema, who formed his own political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, was expelled from the ANC in 2012 for bringing the party into disrepute.
The NTT was appointed by the ANC to rebuild the fractured youth organisation’s structures. Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa was the co-ordinator of the NTT, while Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula was the convener.
ANA