Collen Maine, who is the current president of the youth league, was elected to this position in 2015. (Gallo)
The ANC’s national working committee has allegedly supported the call for the party’s youth league executive to be collapsed, pending the league’s 26th conference, according to News24.
Members of the youth league have been calling for the party to remove “old” leaders and replace them with a national task team until new leadership is elected at the league’s next conference, which is yet to be announced.
Collen Maine, who is the current president of the youth league, was elected to this position in 2015 alongside his deputy Desmond Moela, secretary general Njabulo Nzuza, deputy secretary general Thandi Moraka and treasurer general Reggie Nkabinde.
The youth league had its last conference in 2015 and the above mentioned leadership have not been able to take the league to another congress. This has created tensions within the provincial ranks.
Members of the youth league have accused the national executive committee of the youth league of using their positions to advance their political careers, instead of working for the good of young people in the party.
These accusations were levelled against the leadership during provincial marches of the youth league at the beginning of this month, where members handed in memorandums to party leaders demanding that the executive be disbanded.
Maine, Moela, Moraka and Nkabinde are now serving either in the National Assembly or in provincial legislatures while Nzuza is the new deputy minister of home affairs.
In 2018, a contender to the league’s presidency, Ndumiso Mokako, accused the executive of the youth league of sidelining those with different views.
During an event in Mpumalanga honouring the lives of liberation movement leaders, Mokako said: “Your presence here is a protest against the culture of being forced by old people to elect ANCYL leaders who have no resonance with the values, principles and traditions of the ANCYL.”
Tensions have also risen between Maine and Moraka, who accused the league president of being a sellout and called for his resignation.
This was after Maine said (at a memorial service in North West for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela) that he had been introduced to the controversial Guptas by the province’s premier, Supra Mahumapelo.
The ANC disbanded its league in 2013 when then president Julius Malema was expelled. A national task team was formed then until the next conference in 2015.