ANCYL Drama Continues
By Novell Zwange – Dramatic twists and turns to the ANC Youth League’s leadership wrangles continue, as the African National Congress again struggles to instill discipline in their junior cadres.
ANCYL'S Julius Malema
In a press statement issued today, Jackson Mthembu, the ANC National Spokesperson, said the partys has been shocked and dismayed by the pronouncements made by the Mpumalanga Province ANC Youth League (ANC YL) spokesperson that our Treasurer General, Cde Mathews Phosa and other members of the ANC Provincial Executive Committee in that province, are responsible for destabilising the leadership of the Premier and the ANC Chairperson in Mpumalanga, Cde DD Mabuza.
“It is very unfortunate that the YL through its spokesperson, decided to rubbish the good name of our leaders without good course and substance. We would have expected the YL in Mpumalanga to approach both the ANC leadership in Mpumalanga and at national level with any “proof” of their allegations before making such public pronouncements,” he said.
ANCYL provincial secretary Isaac Mahlangu said this week that the ANC should review legislation that allows politicians and state employees to have business interests while in government employ, provided that they declare them.
“The issue of tenders and business interests of government officials needs to be re-looked at, as it is creating unnecessary fights between comrades,” Mahlangu said. “Already we’ve had too many assassinations, including the recent killings of two senior civil servants in the province. The reasons behind the killings are nothing else but tenders.
“Unless something is done about the involvement of politicians in business, we will continue to experience the killings of comrades in the province.”
Mahlangu said the ANCYL would raise the business interests of government officials and politicians at the ANC’s provincial and national general councils later this year
In wake of the recent outburst by Mahlangu, the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) provincial secretary Raymond Makamo, said to be close to Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza, this week publicly accused ANC national treasurer Mathews Phosa of funding and fuelling service delivery protests in Mpumalanga.
But Mthembu remained admant that the party supports him, “The ANC has every confidence in our Treasurer General and we do not believe that he is in any other way involved in whatever allegations made against him. This is not the first time that such unsubstantiated allegations were made against our Treasurer General from that province and could not be proven.”
He said, “The ANC has repeatedly called on all its members to refrain from public smears and character assassination of its leaders and members. We again warn the ANC YL in Mpumalanga to refrain from acts of ill-discipline and bringing the organisation into disrepute. They must forward whatever evidence in their possession that reflect wrong doing on the part of any leader, either provincial or national, to the National Executive Committee through the Office of the Secretary-General, Cde Gwede Mantashe for proper handling and processing.”
