The carefully constructed unity of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) was showing cracks on Sunday when separate national executive election nomination lists reflected the divisions that had brought the league’s Mangaung conference to its knees.
Two lists were circulated to delegates on the final day of the conference at Nasrec in Johannesburg, containing the names of key people who supported ANCYL president Julius Malema or his rival, Saki Mofokeng.
Malema was endorsed by the ANC as youth league president after disputes about his election in Mangaung were declared invalid.
Mofokeng’s list was circulated on a piece of paper the size of a till slip and contained only 21 names with the slogan ”United and Cohesion for Defense [sic] of the Revolution”.
Malema’s list was on an A4 sheet and had 30 names — half of them women to ensure gender parity.
Originally there were 55 delegates nominated to contest the 30 national executive committee (NEC) positions, but a plenary meeting whittled it down to 41 names.
Ten NEC nominees were straddling the divide because they appeared on both lists.
Late on Sunday, Scotch Moeketsi, who was listed second on the Malema list, was hurriedly taken off and replaced with Millicent Phenyane.
Those featured on the lists said the breakdown between the two camps came when they could not agree on Saturday night on a consolidated list of 30 nominees who would automatically make up the NEC. This plan, devised by new and former leaders of the organisation, would have made elections by ballot superfluous.
ANCYL secretary general Vuyiswa Tulelo said she did not think one camp would win outright.
”I don’t think anyone will take it wholesale. This is why they couldn’t agree on a consolidated list. Some thought one [delegate] is fine but another is not. So the final outcome will be a mix, I think.”
The Mail & Guardian was told that former ANCYL president Fikile Mbalula was instrumental in the nominations process disintegrating into the two camps that had opposed each other at Mangaung.
Mbalula said there must be ”total control” by the Malema camp and that the NEC should not be saddled with possibly dissenting voices like those of Mofokeng and his lieutenants.
A member of the Mofokeng camp told the M&G that Mbalula, currently a member of the most powerful structure in the ANC, the national working committee, wanted the league to be a homogeneous force on which he could depend.
”They are looking at 2012 [when the new ANC leadership will be chosen] and know that until then they will want to make a few controversial decisions which they will need unfaltering support for. And this is why they don’t want any dissenting voices in the NEC,” the member said.
Voting started late on Sunday afternoon and the conference was scheduled to conclude later in the day.