After several postponements since December, the Eastern Cape ANC Youth League’s (ANCYL) eighth elective congress is finally set to sit in East London from Friday to Sunday.
The league confirmed on Thursday it was all systems go for the much-anticipated gathering at the East London International Convention Centre, with delegate registration scheduled to take place at Cambridge Hall on Friday morning.
More than 1,200 voting delegates from the province’s eight regions are expected to attend and elect a new provincial leadership structure.
The league is led by a provincial task team after the lapse of the previous leadership’s term late last year.
Provincial task team coordinator Thumeka Mqekelana said the congress would convene under the theme “Rebuilding a united and powerful youth voice for economic freedom now, not later”.
Mqekelana described the gathering as “a critical organisational process aimed at consolidating unity, renewing leadership and strengthening the political, ideological and organisational capacity of the youth league in the province, in line with the objectives of the broader mass democratic movement”.
“The ANCYL Eastern Cape provincial task team remains committed to delivering a successful, credible and disciplined congress that will position the youth league to effectively play its role in advancing the interests of young people and preparing for future electoral and organisational tasks,” Mqekelana said.
The league’s newly appointed national deputy president, Francisco Dyantyi, a former Eastern Cape provincial secretary, is expected to open the congress. Secretary-general Tsakane Shiviti and her first deputy Zama Khanyashe are expected to attend.
The run-up to the conference has been marked by intense lobbying for top positions.
Earlier this year, it was reported former Nelson Mandela University SRC member and outgoing provincial spokesperson Siviwe Ngaba could contest the chairperson position against OR Tambo regional secretary Nkcubeko Madlalisa. Buffalo City Metro’s Ondela “Obama” Sokomani confirmed his intention to contest.
For the provincial secretary post, Alfred Nzo’s Lihle Chalo and Amathole’s Zuko Lugalo were expected to go head-to-head. The position became vacant in December when Dyantyi was elevated to national leadership.
On Thursday, Chalo confirmed he would also contest for provincial chairperson.
Chalo and Sokomani are understood to support ANC provincial chair Oscar Mabuyane’s bid for a third term at the party’s elective congress in March. Madlalisa and Lugalo are believed to back provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi’s bid to replace Mabuyane.
The Herald previously reported several branches in Nelson Mandela Bay had thrown their support behind Ngaba, who could not be reached for comment on Thursday. Weeks before the January congress was postponed, Ngaba said he would accept nomination if it was put forward.
He cautioned that the league’s support for the ANC in the upcoming local government elections should not be a “blank cheque”.
“We have to ensure we mobilise as many young people as possible to vote for the ANC so it can retain the majority of municipalities and, where possible, reclaim those that have been lost, including Nelson Mandela Bay,” Ngaba said.
“The league must have a strong and clear voice in shaping the ANC’s manifesto during the build-up to the elections. We must not enter into the politics of a blank cheque.”
Ngaba said reviving youth advisory centres would be a priority.
Madlalisa previously argued the league needed to reposition itself at the centre of youth development debates.
“It has to make sure it becomes the nerve centre of the ANC leadership and its deployees so it can have a clear plan to address issues such as unemployment.
“What has contributed to losses on the ground is not the ANC not having the right policies to liberate young people, but the inability to communicate and implement them.
“We have set the agenda and [need to] make sure it’s implemented.
“That is how we will get young people behind the banner of the ANC again,” Madlalisa said.
However, provincial task team convenor Vuyo Jali indicated on Thursday leadership contestation could be avoided through what he called “political management”.
Jali said efforts were under way to reach consensus on leadership positions before voting takes place.
“We are busy with issues of political management. We are expecting to release an agreed on leadership on Friday morning.
“There will be no contest. We are going to sit down and discuss leadership. People have declared they are available for the leadership roles. We are going to sit down and consider those names as the outgoing leadership of the province, together with the national leadership that is here.
“After agreeing on those names, we will call on all those available and give a march offline, which will be cascaded to regions and subsequently to delegates.”
He said this approach was aimed at avoiding divisions.
“This is because we have seen in previous years that leadership contestation is problematic and divisive. You would remember the ANC’s Mangaung conference gave birth to COPE and there are other organisations that have been birthed as a result of leadership contestations in the ANC.
“We are trying by all means to ensure there is no contestation in the youth league. We are trying to avoid divisions and formation of new organisations because every time a new splinter party comes out of the ANC, that weakens the ANC,” Jali said.
He said the provincial ANC was lobbying other provinces to adopt a similar model, noting the approach had been implemented in regional ANCYL conferences in the Eastern Cape last year and in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.
Chalo confirmed the consultation process, saying it would help prevent divisions.
He said, given the ANC was at its “weakest point”, the league had opted “to avoid going to the ballot” to prevent further “disintegration”.
“The issue of arrogance of numbers has killed the organisation, but we have agreed if we sit down and discuss leadership, as we have done in our previous provincial congress and the recent national congress, we will end up with strong leadership,” Chalo said.
Daily Dispatch