ANC Youth League deputy president Andile Lungisa once punted as a suitable candidate to challenge Julius Malema for the position of president has thrown his weight behind his old political rival, six weeks before the organisation’s elective conference.
Lungisa, who is also chairman of the National Youth Development Agency, confirmed in an interview with the Mail & Guardian his endorsement of Malema to be re-elected as ANCYL president next month. Although his decision is likely to anger some leaders in the league, it will come as a major boost for Malema’s campaign to retain his influential position.
Lungisa’s campaign to take over the ANCYL’s top position crumbled after he was forced to distance himself from the anti-Malema revolt during the league’s national general council meeting last year. However, he was, until recently, associated with a group that supported the league’s Gauteng chairman, Lebogang Maile, to replace Malema.
Lungisa made it clear he was no longer among those who wanted Malema removed as president. “I know the youth league is a democratic organisation. People are free to choose their preferred candidates for positions,” said Lungisa. “But I don’t see any reason why we should change Malema as president — We put Julius in his position on the basis that he would take us to the next level in fighting for the national democratic revolution. Under his leadership the youth league has been vibrant. Young people in the country now know the youth league. They know it is fighting to change their lives for the better.” Lungisa said Malema had proved to be a capable leader of the organisation and enjoyed widespread support.
“All of us agreed Julius has many advantages. He is very clear on what needs to be done. He understands where we are coming from.”
He argued that although Malema’s term of office would come to an end next month, his leadership was still needed in the ANCYL, the vision of which was to push for economic freedom and whose discussion documents were clear on how it wanted to move forward.
“My view is that what belongs to the majority in this country must be returned. Key sectors such as the financial and mining sectors are still in the hands of whites. Our people own fisheries and other businesses that are insignificant in economic terms.
“The issue of economic transformation is not child’s play. We are going to get a lot of resistance. The principle here is to fight against white or black domination of our economic resources. All resources should be shared among our people in the country. We need a radical leadership for the ANC conference in 2012,” said Lungisa.
Uniting behind Malema
He told the M&G that he was lobbying hard to convince other structures, such as the South African Student Association, the Congress of South African Students and the Young Communist League, to unite behind Malema.
Although Malema is confident of having majority support within the ANCYL, murmurs of discontent about his leadership have emerged from within these organisations, with Cosas saying publicly he should not be given another term.
Lungisa dismissed suggestions that his decision to endorse Malema was informed by his desire to be re-elected to the league’s national executive committee, as suggested by fellow members. He told the M&G he did not want to serve another term as deputy president.
“I never wanted to contest Julius. It has never been my ambition to contest for his position. When I was discussed as deputy president [in 2008], we understood where we were coming from. It was never my plan to become president. You don’t wake up one day and say ‘I want to become president of the youth league’,” he said.
Meanwhile, Maile’s campaign to challenge Malema continues, despite the fact that none of the ANCYL provincial or regional structures has come out publicly to support him.
Two ANCYL leaders close to Maile told the M&G that the majority of its branches were unlikely to nominate him for the position when the organisation begins its nomination process in two weeks’ time.
“His [Maile’s] difficulty is that he does not command support from his own province. He failed to divide the national leadership. To be successful in contesting for the presidency in the youth league you must first be able to be supported by some leaders within the national executive committee.
“The youth league is centralised. There is no way you can succeed in your campaign if you don’t have support from some leaders within the national executive committee,” said one national leader.