The ANC Youth League in the Eastern Cape wants its newly elected provincial chair, Lihle Chalo, deployed to the provincial legislature and elevated to an MEC position, saying young people also deserve a seat in provincial government leadership.
Provincial government posts are not the only ones in the ANCYL’s crosshairs.
The league is also eyeing positions in provincial municipalities for the youth of the province.
This was announced on Sunday by the league’s provincial secretary, Zuko Lugalo, shortly after the league concluded its first three-day provincial executive committee lekgotla in Chintsa, outside KuGompo City, at the weekend.
The lekgotla, Lugalo said, aimed to reflect on the political, economic and social conditions confronting the people of the Eastern Cape, particularly the youth.
He said the lekgotla served as both a governance engagement platform and an organisational strategic workshop aimed at assessing government performance, strengthening the youth development agenda, consolidating organisational machinery, and preparing for the November 4 local government elections.
“The lekgotla further focused on realigning the strategic priorities of the ANCYL towards addressing the immediate struggles facing young people.
“Central to this process is ensuring the inclusion of young people in key decision-making spaces and corridors of power, as decisions cannot be made for us, without us,” Lugalo said.
The lekgotla also emphasised the importance of political renewal, generational mix and meaningful youth participation in governance.
“As the PEC of the Eastern Cape, the organisation is demanding practical and meaningful youth representation in positions of governance and decision-making.
“Furthermore, ahead of the 2026 local government elections, the organisation demands a minimum of 30% youth representation in PR (proportional representation) councillor lists across municipalities in the province.
“The ANCYL also calls for the meaningful deployment of young people into strategic leadership positions, including troika leadership collectives, members of the mayoral committee (MMCs), portfolio head positions, and ward councillor positions.
“We are saying young people must contest ward councillor positions across all wards and must not merely serve as foot soldiers during elections, but must be entrusted with leadership responsibilities that influence policy direction, governance and service delivery,” Lugalo said.
The first day of the lekgotla, Lugalo said, focused on assessing government programmes and interventions addressing the key challenges facing young people in the province.
“Through engagements with MECs and government leadership, the ANCYL received progress reports on youth-related programmes and interventions.
“The lekgotla critically assessed the effectiveness of these programmes in confronting unemployment, poverty, inequality, crime and limited economic opportunities facing the youth constituency,” he said.
The scourge of youth unemployment, Lugalo said, was identified by those attending the lekgotla as “one of the greatest crises affecting young people in the Eastern Cape”.
“The organisation therefore resolved to intensify the struggle against extremely high levels of youth unemployment by challenging both the public and private sectors to expand economic opportunities, create sustainable jobs, invest in youth development programmes, and prioritise young people in procurement, training and employment opportunities.
“The ANCYL further calls for greater accountability from all institutions benefiting from public resources to contribute meaningfully towards local economic development and youth empowerment.
“The organisation remains committed to advancing meaningful economic participation for young people through entrepreneurship support, access to skills development, procurement opportunities and inclusion in the mainstream economy,” Lugalo said.
League members in attendance, Lugalo said, also expressed serious concern over poor governance, maladministration and corruption within institutions of the provincial government.
“The ANCYL reaffirmed its commitment to fighting corruption and demanding ethical, accountable and capable leadership across all sectors of society.
“Public resources must serve communities and not personal interests.
“The organisation will continue to advocate for consequence management against corruption and inefficiency that undermine service delivery and public confidence,” Lugalo said.
Daily Dispatch
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