A divided group will represent the ANC Youth League at the ruling party’s upcoming national elective conference.

Daily Maverick reported that the ANC Youth League’s national task team held a special meeting on Sunday, where it endorsed former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize as its preferred candidate to become the next president of the party. 

It has now emerged that, of the 40 delegates expected to represent the youth league, not all will vote for Mkhize.

Four delegates wanted Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, 17 Cyril Ramaphosa and 19 Mkhize. The person with the most votes is meant to be supported by the entire structure, as decisions reached by voting processes are binding on all members.

Ramaphosa, my president

Hours after the official endorsement of Mkhize for the ANC presidency, task team convener Nonceba Mhlauli posted, on Twitter and Facebook, a photo of Ramaphosa captioned “Mongameli”, which directly translates as “president”.

The picture drew criticism on both platforms, with people accusing her of not adhering to democratic centralism. But Mhlauli scoffed at her critics, asking, who is the current president of the liberation movement?

Mongameli!! pic.twitter.com/drbMLEhgni

— Nonceba Mhlauli (@NoncebaMhlauli) November 7, 2022

The task team was also criticised for not supporting former youth league leaders such as Justice Minister Ronald Lamola and former president of the league, Andile Lungisa, both of whom are vying for positions in the top six. Another criticism was that the task team did not get a mandate from branches and regional and provincial councils.

“We did not need permission from the branches,” said task team spokesperson Sizophila Mkhize. 

“It is not every time that branches will be consulted. We disbanded branches without consultation because we are the highest decision-making body.”

Mkhize also said that everyone on the task team would be a delegate at the conference.

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The task team members 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.

Mhlauli confirmed that she backed Ramaphosa for a second term. She also denied reports that there were discussions about candidates at Sunday’s meeting, as the voting happened without anyone motivating why they wanted certain candidates. The process was overseen by National Executive Committee deployee Thandi Mahambehlala. 

TimesLive reported that Ramaphosa’s sympathisers on the task team are arguing that the process leading to Mkhize’s nomination as the presidential candidate may have to be redone, citing procedural “irregularities”.

“Young people are not lying that they were not consulted… the rules did not require us to consult them,” Mhlauli told Daily Maverick. 

‘I am not surprised’

“It is expected that people in the task team will have a view on the presidential candidates, so I am not surprised that there are those who do not want to support the endorsed candidates.”

Asked if she would be bound by the task team’s endorsement, Mhlauli did not respond directly, saying instead that her branch had nominated Ramaphosa for a second term: 

“The branch felt it is important for the continuity and renewal project that Ramaphosa gets a second term. He, with his collective, must carry on the job they are doing.” 

Read more in Daily Maverick: “Ramaphosa hung me out to dry over SA Embassy issue, claims Lindiwe Sisulu”

Toko Masemola, ANCYL Ward 66 branch convener in the Tshwane region, is among those opposed to the outcome of Sunday’s meeting. He argued that even a top decision-making body consults the branches on which direction they want the leadership to take, and then the highest decision-making structures finalise the decision of the branches as the position of the organisation.

“Members of the highest decision-making structure do not take decisions that will be taken as the views of the organisation without reaching out to the branches… interacting with young people in communities who are waiting to see if the Youth League can represent their views in the ANC nationally.” 

Younger leaders ignored

Masemola pointed out that among the top six of the task team’s nominations, there was no one under the age of 40.

“That means as the younger generation, we are not at the centre of the leadership contestations. We have exciting younger leaders who are being nominated by branches who did not appear on the task team’s list. Younger leaders who are running under the ‘Economic Freedom In Our Lifetime’ banner for Nasrec. Like Phapano Phasha… even Andile Lungisa is running under this banner.” 

Task team coordinator Joy Maimela said they are expecting people to respect the decision taken by the team. 

“We did not have the luxury to consult lower structures and we are expecting members to adhere to endorsements as pronounced (by the task team).

“Comrades have internal channels to raise issues… we did expect this back and forth, but we also expect discipline from comrades.”

Unaware

Spokesperson Mkhize said she was unaware that some members were not willing to support their preferred candidate.

“We will have discussions with branches. In the last conferences, I did not support NDZ (Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma) but the national youth task team said we must support her, so I did, because that is how the organisation works.”

She also said cash constraints led to a delay in the Youth League convening the conference. “We depend on the ANC… if the ANC does not have any money, there is not much we can do.”

Meanwhile, in a written response to Daily Maverick, Zweli Mkhize’s communication adviser Vuyo Mkhize said: “Dr Mkhize is deeply humbled by the nomination from the ANC Youth League.

“Young people can rest assured that, in the event that he is elected, he will spare no effort to address the challenges of unemployment and general lack of economic opportunities they are confronted with.” DM