Durban — The KwaZulu-Natal ANC Youth League’s elective conference could be postponed again following allegations of sabotage by a camp that supports President Cyril Ramaphosa for a second term.
A youth league leader who backs Dr Zweli Mkhize for the top job said they had received information that some ANCYL members in KZN who support Ramaphosa were holding secret meetings to allegedly plot to disrupt preparations to delay the mother body’s elective conference, which is two weeks away.
One ANCYL member said they received information that this was discussed at a meeting in Johannesburg on Thursday. He added that the meeting was attended by the national ANCYL task team convener Nonceba Mhlauli, who apparently said she was assisting KZN members to execute a plan to sabotage the conference.
“We know that there are plans to delay the conference because there are youth league members from the national office who fear that Nqobile Gumede and Qiniso Mnguni are in Mkhize’s camp.
“If they win the conference, it would be a blow to President Ramaphosa if he wins a second term as party leader. Other information we have is that the Ramaphosa camp wants a youth league that would be anti the KZN ANC’s provincial leadership, so that it makes their term miserable,” said a Mkhize backer.
Gumede and Mnguni are front runners for chairperson and secretary, respectively. They are known to be backing Mkhize. In Ramaphosa’s camp Bongo Nombekala and Thulisa Ndlela are said to be vying for chairperson and secretary.
Ndlela denied that he belongs to any faction, saying as he has not been nominated, he would not say whether he was contesting or not. He said he would only answer if he accepts a nomination at the conference.
Ndlela confirmed that his regional leadership is taking the ANCYL task team to court over its decision to disband the structure and were preparing to file court papers this week. Ndlela was elected eThekwini regional secretary but other factions held a parallel conference, forcing the task team to disband both structures. He said there was no doubt that their court action will have a bearing on the sitting of the conference.
Tolomane Mnyayiza (lower South Coast) regional youth league chairperson Zwelethu Jeza said they have also noticed that there were youth league members who were no longer supporting the holding of the conference. He said they viewed these members’ actions as sabotage because they were not presenting valid reasons why the conference should be postponed.
“We regard what they are doing as sabotage. Initially, we all agreed that we must go to the conference but now some members are talking about postponement for no reason,” said Jeza.
He added that his regional leadership had taken a decision to elect Gumede chairperson, with Mnguni as secretary.
KZN’s ANCYL task team spokesperson Sibonelo Nomvalo denied the allegations, saying the conference was going ahead.
Despite the task team’s endorsement of Mkhize, Mhlauli is known to have endorsed Ramaphosa. Her ward 58 branches in the Western Cape nominated Ramaphosa.
Mahlauli said: “As the convener, I meet with ANCYL members on a daily basis, in fact, I am expected to do so. Claims that any meeting with any member of the ANCYL is tantamount to plotting is rather absurd. These allegations are not only frivolous, but ridiculous to say the least.”
Daily News