ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe and the Eastern Cape ANC Youth League are on a collision course over the league’s call for 50% youth representation in the National Assembly, provincial legislatures and municipal councils.
Speaking at the party’s 2019 manifesto review rally at the Sisa Dukashe stadium in Mdantsane on Saturday, Mantashe did not mince his words when he shrugged off the call, saying it was about “it’s our time to eat”.
The provincial youth league said it was not taking Mantashe’s remarks lightly, accusing the old guard of protecting “failing” senior ministers.
He made it clear that the league would be included in government, but not with a 50% representation.
You must accept that we are the elders here; we are in control
“I told them [Youth League] that ‘you are going to lose campuses to the EFF because you focus on kwizinto ezingafuni nina (things that you have nothing to do with)’,” Mantashe said.
“You must accept that we are the elders here; we are in control.”
Mantashe acknowledged that a generational mix was still on the party’s agenda, but insisted it would not be a “youth takeover”.
He said the concept of “youth takeover” was materialistic.
“It’s a concept yoba [that shows] it’s our time to eat,” Mantashe said.
“We must move away from that concept because it won’t help us.”
Mantashe said some party leaders promised the league the 50% it wanted, because they were scared of the league.
“I’m saying you will not get it, you are going to be part of the ANC.”
In response, the league’s provincial leadership lambasted Mantashe.
It said it appeared that the old guard was defending public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan, who was at loggerheads with the league over the unbundling of Eskom, and finance minister Enoch Godongwana, under scrutiny over the Treasury’s cost-cutting proposals.
“Now they are trying by all means to destabilise us because whatever they are saying is informed by the utterances that we have been making about the removal of comrade Godongwana and comrade Pravin,” the league’s provincial chair Vuyo Jali told the Dispatch.
“We are saying that because of some fundamental issues, we strongly believe they [Godongwana and Gordhan] are not doing what the ANC deployed them to do.
“What they are doing is not going to benefit the people of SA in any way.
“Even the South African Communist Party is strongly against the circular sent by comrade Godongwana.
“It speaks against the collapse of state entities. We believe comrade Pravin wants a private company to rescue the situation.
“We believe that these things are man-made ... they are manufactured in some way.
“That is why we believe there is nothing they can do for the people of SA.”
Jali said Godongwana and Gordhan should step down because they did not seem to have solutions to the challenges the country faces.
“We thought we deployed capable leaders of our glorious movement.
“We can’t be correcting them while they are supposed to be leading; we are not here for that.
“If they are not capable of what we thought they were capable of doing, they must just be removed. End of story.
“He [Mantashe] acts as if they are the owners of the ANC and we have to wait for the owners to be tired of being in control before we can lead,” he said.
Jali dismissed the assertion that the 50% youth representation call was all about “eating”.
He said the youth would focus on tackling SA’s problems.
“The majority of voters are young people under the age of 35,” Jali said.
“Older people are tired because some of their issues have not been met by our government and they have started losing hope.
“It’s us who are mobilising young people to rally behind the banner of the ANC.”
Jali said the youth could not be overlooked after all the hard work they had put in.
“It cannot be like we are working for them ... we are working for the same ANC they are leaders of ... they should appreciate that.
“There are young people who are leading the ANC — some were elected while others were co-opted into the structures of ANC — we want those people to be given responsibilities so that they are tested.
Fifty percent is what we want. We are open to engagement; the ANC must engage us properly
“Fifty percent is what we want.
“We are open to engagement; the ANC must engage us properly.
“Even if they say 40/60 ... 60% older people grooming 40% of young people during the term of an administration to be included in that 60% in the next administration.”
Mantashe stepped in to address the rally after president Cyril Ramaphosa, who was advertised to be in BCM for the weekend rally, pulled out.
Both ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri and provincial communications head Gift Ngqondi told the Dispatch that Ramaphosa’s no-show had been caused by government-related issues.
“Government commitments. Simple as that,” Bhengu-Motsiri said.
Ngqondi added: “The president had to attend to urgent government business. We were informed on Thursday.”
Scores of party members, who, undeterred by the rain, arrived to watch Ramaphosa deliver his speech, vented their frustration over his last-minute withdrawal on social media.
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