ANC presidential hopeful Dr Zweli Mkhize received a boost in his campaign to unseat the party’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, after the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) National Task Team threw its weight behind him at its special meeting on Sunday.
According to those that attended the meeting, it was initially thought that Ramaphosa would get an automatic endorsement from the young lions, but when the meeting began the name of Mkhize was raised as another candidate they should consider.
Mkhize is a former premier of KwaZulu-Natal, a former ANC treasurer-general and a former minister of health.
He resigned as minister of health in August 2021, just hours before Ramaphosa was set to announce a Cabinet reshuffle.
He was implicated in a number of corruption scandals including allegedly receiving kickbacks from investment deals involving the state-owned Public Investment Corporation.
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Shock
The endorsement of Mkhize came as a shock as the youth league task team is led by staunch Ramaphosa supporters, including its convener, Nonceba Mhlauli.
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The task team will have 40 delegates at the party’s 55th National Conference, to be held at Nasrec in Johannesburg next month.
Another shock came through the snubbing of the minister of justice and correctional services, Ronald Lamola, for the deputy president position. Lamola is a former deputy president of the ANCYL and the task team opted for Paul Mashatile, who is the party’s treasurer-general.
Given his age and credentials, it was expected that he would receive support from the structure.
Mashatile is also the party’s acting secretary-general following the suspension of Ace Magashule in May 2021 because of the party’s step-aside rule. The rule states that any member of the ANC serving in party structures must step aside following an indictment on criminal charges.
Stanley Mathabatha received support for the national chair position, Fikile Mbalula for secretary-general and Nomvula Mokonyane for deputy secretary.
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Former president of the ANCYL Andile Lungisa will also feel hard done by, as he was snubbed for the treasurer-general position, with ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe getting the nod.
In a statement, the task team said it had identified leaders who would champion the cause of young people and ensure the rebuilding and transformation of the economy.
“We have agreed, as the NTT [National Task Team], that young lions must be an integral part of all processes that will ensure that this organisation emerges from this gathering with a clear implementation plan of its progressive policies and resolutions that will be adopted.”
It announced that it would convene a meeting to discuss policy matters and constitutional amendments as a mandate that would be given to the 40 delegates.
“Through our robust engagement over the weekend, and yesterday [Sunday], in particular, we agreed that we must elect leaders that will ensure that young people’s potential is harnessed in order to guarantee the acceleration of socioeconomic development throughout the corners of this country,” reads the statement.
“We need leadership that will end load shedding, which has crippled our economy, ensure access to land and transform the financial sector for the benefit of young and indigenous people.”
The task team has 35 members who were appointed last year with the aim of reviving the ANC Youth League, which was disbanded in 2018 by its mother body after it failed to elect new leadership.
Dissent
Thembela Sifile, a Ramaphosa supporter from the Boland Region in the Western Cape, said the region would not accept those endorsed by the task team.
“The NTT was appointed to take the Youth League to the conference; this is an obvious dereliction of duty. They haven’t done their task [and] now they promulgate leaders at national [level].
“As young people, we distance ourselves from that illegitimate/unconstitutional stokvel gathering the NTT held yesterday.” DM