/ 18 November 2016

Youth league split over party leader

Factious: Youth league leaders
Factious: Youth league leaders

NEWS ANALYSIS

Fault lines have appeared in the ANC’s “premier league”, a faction that supports President Jacob Zuma, over who should be elected as the party’s top six officials at its national conference in 2017 — mainly because of a split in the ANC Youth League.

The premier league is led by ANC provincial chairs Ace Magashule (Free State), David Mabuza (Mpumalanga) and Supra Mahumapelo (North West). It is backed by the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association and the ANC women’s and youth leagues.

In the youth league, one group is led by treasurer Reggie Nkabinde and secretary general Njabulo Nzuza, and favours Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to replace Zuma as ANC president. They want ANC treasurer Zweli Mkhize as the party’s deputy president, Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane as its chairperson, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula as its secretary general and Gauteng ANC chair Paul Mashatile as its treasurer general.

Another faction, led by youth league president Collen Maine, is pushing for Zuma’s former wife and outgoing African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to take over as the next ANC president. They want Mabuza as its deputy president, and Magashule or Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa as its secretary general.

The Nkabinde group consists mainly of branches that were opposed to Maine being elected as youth league president at its national conference last year. They include Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo.

The KwaZulu-Natal youth league is split between the two factions. Provincial chair Thami Ngubane is backing Nkabinde’s group and provincial secretary Thanduxolo Sabelo is supporting Maine’s group.

Nzuza’s group is also pushing for Nkabinde to replace Maine as youth league president in 2018; Maine’s faction wants Sabelo to take over this position. Nzuza denied being part of the Nkabinde faction. Nkabinde was not available for comment.

Some KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)youth league branches have been vocal about wanting Dlamini-Zuma to become ANC president. And a Johannesburg youth league leader said some KZN branches were being used to advance the interests of the premier league.

“KZN, which is a faction that is being used by Baba [Zuma], is the one saying ‘Nkosazana’,” he said.

There is opposition to Dlamini-Zuma being touted as the next ANC president because some fear that her name is being put forward as part of a ploy by the premier league. They are therefore backing Ramaphosa to become party leader.

“On our [Ramaphosa’s] side we’re not even united on Cyril because he’s not speaking,” said a leader in the Johannesburg region. “Even the people in Limpopo don’t know [what to do] any more because he’s just quiet.”

Maine said: “The youth league is not controlled by any premier league — or any minister, for that matter.”

He said claims that he supported certain individuals in the ANC were disingenuous because no names had been discussed by the league.

“There are no divisions, unless there are people in the league who are sitting in dark corners,” he said.