Julius Malema retained his position as African National Congress Youth League president on Friday after contender — the Gauteng youth league chairperson Lebogang Maile — declined the nomination.
Soon after the announcement was made, a jubilant Malema told the Mail & Guardian that he was ready to lead the youth league again.
“I’m humbled by the support that I got and the fact that the comrades have given me the mandate. I shall not disappoint”.
Maile was earlier on Friday evening trying to negotiate for a deputy president position with Malema’s group, but was given the cold shoulder because he did not have enough support. The top five candidates — all aligned with Malema — achieved victory without any contestation.
Maile’s political mentor, arts and culture minister Paul Mashatile, tried unsuccessfully to get him to withdraw his challenge. Maile however conceded defeat late on Friday after being persuaded by other senior Gauteng party leaders.
It was clear on Friday morning that Maile stood no chance of challenging Malema.
All the representatives of the youth league’s allies praised Malema for leading the league effectively and endorsed him for a second term.
There have been been widespread rumours that the Malema-led national executive council would disband the Gauteng provincial executive committee as it was already too polarised. Malema however gave assurances at a media briefing on Friday evening that no one would be victimised based of whom they had supported.
“The leadership has got the responsibility to protect every member of the organisation and every member has got the right to be protected,” said Malema.
“Members have got the right to express their views. No one will be treated differently”.
Ronald Lamola from Mpumalanga was elected deputy president. Sindiso Magaqa, from KwaZulu-Natal, was elected secretary general, while Kenetswe Mosenogi is his deputy.
Pule Mabe retained the treasurer general position.
The league will now elect additional members of the national executive committee and make the announcement on Saturday.
‘Revolutionary cousins’
Young Communist League (YCL) national secretary Buti Manamela delivered a conciliatory message of support to theleague’s national congress, calling the league “our revolutionary cousins”.
Manamela used his speech on Friday to extend an olive branch to the league, saying ANCYL members were the “epitome of our national democratic revolution”. This was the first time the young communist leader had addressed a major youth league gathering since he was booed by delegates to the league’s national general council last year. Friday’s address received a lukewarm reception from delegates.
Relations between the league and their young communist counterpart have been strained recently by several differences, including among others the view that the YCL was supporting Maile.
Widespread reports that the youth league might use this weekend’s congress to pronounce on their leadership preferences for 2012, dumping ANC president Jacob Zuma, also added to the stress.
The YCL is known to be supporting a second term for Zuma as president, as well as of Gwede Mantashe continuing as the secretary general of the ANC. The youth league seeks to replace Mantashe with its former leader, sports minister Fikile Mbalula, and are framing their campaign for Mbalula as a call for a generational mix in the top leadership.
Ancestral obligation
Manamela said it was important that the youth league, together with the YCL, completed the “tasks” set by former veterans of the youth movements that helped fight apartheid. “Our inevitable unity, built in action, remains the fundamental ancestral obligation that we carry not of our own choosing, but imposed by those who built the foundations in which we stand,” he said.
Alluding to a statement by late ANC leader Oliver Tambo, that the ANC and the SACP could not exist without each other, Manamela said the views were true of the relationship between the ANC Youth League and the Young Communist League.
“The campaigns of the YCL will never find resonance without our alliance with the ANC Youth League, and similarly, most initiatives of the youth league will be won if fought together with the reliable ally it finds within young communists”.
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