If the ANC Youth League does not rise to this challenge, it risks becoming irrelevant in the society it seeks to change.
In recent years, South African politics has been increasingly defined by spectacle, slogans and populist posturing — often at the expense of rigorous intellectual debate and critical policy thinking. A wider crisis of thought that jeopardises the fundamental underpinnings of democratic engagement and transformation is reflected in the rise of anti-intellectualism, particularly among youth political movements such as the ANC Youth League.
Anti-intellectualism is not simply a rejection of formal education. It is disdainful of critical thinking, academic inquiry and informed debate. It manifests in celebrating charisma over competence, loyalty over logic and noise over nuance.
Within the league, this trend is becoming dangerously normalised. Once a breeding ground for ideological sharpness and future leaders of substance, the ANC Youth League too often rewards militant soundbites and performative radicalism while sidelining young thinkers who seek to ground their activism in theory, research and long-term strategy.
The roots of this crisis are complex. Years of institutional decay in the ANC have eroded the culture of internal political education. Once-vibrant debate forums, political schools and intellectual mentorship are weak or absent. The post-apartheid period demanded robust frameworks for reconstruction and development. However, opportunists skilled at populist rhetoric, rather than policymaking, have gradually taken over the political arena.
Anti-intellectualism flourishes in this setting. Using feelings rather than facts enables leaders to evade responsibility.
It turns serious issues like unemployment, inequality and land reform into rhetorical battlegrounds rather than sites of rigorous intervention. The league, which once counted thinkers like Anton Lembede and Peter Mokaba among its leaders, now risks becoming a parody of its former self — more comfortable with empty slogans than building a coherent vision for youth empowerment in a rapidly changing world.
Worse still, the anti-intellectual turn has created a generational rift. Young South Africans who challenge the status quo from within — those who demand better schools of political thought, progressive research and ethical leadership — are often labeled as “elitist”, “sellouts” or “not radical enough”. This creates a toxic environment where mediocrity is rewarded and intellectual ambition is punished.
The damage is not contained within youth politics. It permeates the larger political conversation. Debates in parliament are frequently reduced to trivial showmanship. Policy documents are either disregarded, poorly researched or plagiarised.
Hashtags and viral outrage, rather than thoughtful consideration, shape public engagement. This crisis of thought is a national problem, undermining our ability to govern effectively, hold leaders accountable and foster democratic participation rooted in knowledge.
There are exceptions — young activists, scholars and leaders pushing back against this trend by combining political commitment with intellectual rigour. However, they are often isolated, unsupported and swimming against the tide. Without institutional support for intellectual development within political structures — especially the league — they will continue to be marginalised.
First, the league must reclaim its intellectual tradition. This means reviving political education with urgency and integrity. Long-term programmes that examine history, ideology, economics and international movements are preferable to workshops that are merely check-box exercises. These initiatives must push young leaders to consider the intricacies of change in a post-colonial, capitalist society and to look beyond catchphrases.
Second, political leadership must stop treating intellectualism as a threat. South Africa needs a leadership culture that values thinkers, readers and researchers as much as it does activists and organisers. The binary between theory and practice must be rejected in favour of a synthesis that produces clarity of vision and effectiveness in action.
Third, civil society, universities and independent think-tanks must step into the void. If political parties fail to create space for young intellectuals, other institutions must offer platforms for engagement, critique and public education. Democracy does not survive on votes alone — it survives on the circulation of ideas, the contestation of narratives and the evolution of political thought.
Finally, young people must resist the pressure to conform to anti-intellectual norms. They must read, write, question and debate — not in isolated academic silos, but in the streets, community halls and digital spaces where the political is lived. To think critically is not to be less revolutionary. On the contrary, it is the most revolutionary act in a society starved of meaningful ideas.
Our political institutions are fragile. Our economy is stagnant. Our youths are restless. We cannot afford a political culture that glorifies ignorance and punishes insight. The crisis of thought is not abstract — it has material consequences. It means policies that fail. Leaders who mislead. Movements that collapse.
If the ANC Youth League does not rise to this challenge, it risks becoming irrelevant in the society it seeks to change. Nevertheless, if members can reclaim the power of intellectualism — rooted in justice, truth and revolutionary theory — they can become the vanguard of a new political era, one defined not by noise but by substance.
Siyanda Kate is a PhD candidate (Political Studies) at Nelson Mandela University.