The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has ”never deviated” from the ruling party’s policy on violence against women and on Wednesday rejected a warning not to do so.
”The ANCYL has never deviated from ANC policy and is on public record as having come out vociferously against rape and any other form of women abuse,” spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said in a media statement.
He was responding to a report in The Star newspaper on Wednesday morning. According to the article the ANC’s national working committee had warned the youth league and ”other Zuma sympathisers” not to defy ANC policy.
The ANCYL said it rejected the statement, attributed to the ANC’s head of presidency, Smuts Ngonyama, ”with the contempt it deserves”.
”The ANC Youth League has never deviated from ANC policy and is on public record as having come out vociferously against rape and any other form of women abuse. On the Zuma rape trial we have strongly articulated this position, and therefore do not need a lecture from Smuts Ngonyama or anybody else on ANC policy, particularly through the platforms of the media,” said an ANCYL statement.
”Ngonyama must not impose himself as a judge and make unfounded proclamations that are devoid of the truth. Both our articulation and conduct have been well within the parameters of the ANC constitution and policy and any suggestion otherwise is at best ridiculous and at worst malicious,” said the statement.
Referring to Jacob Zuma’s rape trial at a media briefing on Tuesday, the ANC’s head of presidency, Smuts Ngonyama said: ”No ANC structure or member should act or express themselves in a manner which undermines this unwavering, principled commitment [to end rape and gender-based violence]”.
”We have not only expressed our contempt for rape as a cancer in our society, but have stated our absolute respect for the due process of the law,” he added. – Sapa