/ 25 November 2014

ANCYL national congress postponed

Ancyl National Congress Postponed
The ANC can neither hold the centre nor lead society. The recent policy conference was bereft of new ideas

The ANC Youth League’s national congress, due to have started on Wednesday, will not go ahead as planned, the task team co-ordinator Magasela Mzobe said on Tuesday.

“Having appreciated the gravity of challenges … and after extensive consultation with the leadership of the ANC it has been resolved that this week’s national congress of the ANCYL will be converted into a consultative national congress,” he told reporters in Johannesburg.

“The congress will deal with political, organisational, and functional reports and have commissions which deal with policy documents.” The consultative forum would be used to discuss documents, a programme of action and the character of the organisation.

A conference at which new ANC Youth League leaders would be elected would be held early next year, Mzobe said.

Focus on rebuilding
Speaking during a media briefing televised live on eNCA, he said the announcement was made to inform branches. “It became very obvious in our discussions that the state of preparedness of delegates coming to discuss their policy positions … might have not been enough or qualitative.”

Converting the elective conference to a consultative one meant ANCYL delegates could concentrate more on policy and rebuilding the league instead of worrying about electing leaders. 

It was supposed to have been held from November 25 to 29 at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto Campus.

A task team was put in place last year after the ANC disbanded the ANCYL’s leadership. – Sapa