ANC YOUTH LEAGUE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTE LEKGOTLA STATEMENT
a. The entire process of the disciplinary proceedings of the ANC was politically motivated and meant to resolve political struggles and battles within the ANC. Some in the ANC believe that by removing certain leaders of the ANC YL, they will successfully suppress and undermine the political and ideological struggles of the ANCYL, particularly on Nationalisation of Mines and Expropriation of Land without Compensation or will be guaranteed re-election into leadership positions in the ANC.
16 February 2012
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| Still in charge-ANC YL President Julius Malema opens the Lekotla Confrence |
The ANC Youth League held its National Executive Committee Lekgotla between the 9th and 12th of February 2012 at the Saint George Conference Centre, in Tshwane. The NEC Lekgotla was attended by delegates of the ANC Youth League from regional, provincial and national executive committees from across length and breadth of South Africa. The Lekgotla was opened on the 9th of February by ANC Youth League President Julius Malema. The opening address was open to the media, broadcast live on some of the television channels and the text of the opening address circulated to all structures of the ANC YL and members of the media.
The National Executive Committee Lekgotla received informative, incisive and dynamic inputs from the leadership of the ANC and progressive forces, particularly Comrades Kgalema Motlanthe, Gwede Matashe, Thandi Modise, Lindiwe Sisulu, Blade Nzimande, Angie Motshekga, Febe Potgietier, Enoch Godongwana, Thaba Mafumadi, Professor Muxe Nkondo and Paul Jordan on various topical issues. These topical issues included, but not limited to presentations and discussions on 1) the land question, 2) relationship between the ANC Youth League and the ANC, 3) The state of Higher Education in South Africa, 4) meaning of celebrating 100 years of the ANC, 5) report on the National research report, 6) Military Youth Service, the State of basic education and the ANC Strategy & Tactics.
Out of the Lekgotla received from the leadership collective of the ANC Youth League National Executive Committee on the charges brought against the leadership of the ANC YL, the Lekgotla deducted, noted and accepted the following observations:
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| Song and dance: ANC Youth League treasurer Pule Mabe, left, and league president Julius Malema sing popular Struggle song Solomon at the organisation s lekgotla at St George s Hotel in Irene, Pretoria. |
b. There is no consistency of discipline in the ANC, because if there was any form and sense of consistency, there have been disrepute brought to the ANC by many amongst its leadership and there was no action that was taken.
c. The refusal of those leaders of the ANC to recues themselves from the proceedings of the NDC had prejudiced the charged comrades.
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| NO LAUGHING MATTER: ANC Youth League president Julius Malema, left, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, centre, and league secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa in Pretoria on Friday. |
d. The conviction of the leadership of the ANC Youth League was purely as a result of the statements and official positions of the ANC Youth League adopted by the 24th National Congress and endorsed by the National Executive Committee in its first post 24th National Congress meeting.
The ANC Youth League NEC Lekgotla confirmed that the statements and articulations, which the President of the ANC Youth League is convicted for is the statement of the ANC Youth League emanating from the 24th National Congress and the National Executive Committee which concluded on the 31st of July 2011.
Lekgotla further confirmed that the statement which the Secretary General is convicted for is also a statement of the ANC Youth League, released to the media through the normal channels of the ANC Youth League. We further confirm that the statement which the Spokesperson of the ANC Youth League is convicted for is a statement of the ANC Youth League and that the Spokesperson’s name was included on the statement as a contact person. On the other issue affecting the Spokesperson, the Lekgotla accepted that the internal process that he was subjected to is adequate, despite the fact that the information he was found guilty was illegally obtained by the concerned Journalist.
In view of all these realities, the NEC Lekgotla stands by the view that the leadership of the ANC Youth League as elected by the 24th National Congress of the ANC Youth League will never be removed by any process that does not include the structures and membership of the ANC Youth League. It is only the internal process of the ANC Youth League that can decide to elect or un-elect leadership of the ANC Youth League. The ANC Youth League will never agree that its leadership be subjected to unfair and unjust treatment or banished for narrow political purposes. In this regard, the leadership of the ANC Youth League as elected by the 24th National Congress of the ANC Youth League remains in office as elected members of the ANC YL National Executive Committee of the ANC Youth League.
We believe that the ANC carries an obligation to educate and guide the ANC Youth League on all critical policy issues and not persecute the leadership for articulating the policy positions of the ANC Youth League. The leadership of the ANC Youth League stands guilty of articulating policy positions that the ANC has the power to disapprove. The reality of the situation is that the charges brought against the leadership of the ANC Youth League are based on political developments and realities and it is only a political discussion and solution that can bring the differences to rest.
The NEC Lekgotla further noted that in his opening address, President Julius Malema said he is ready to resign if we as structures of the ANC Youth League say so. All leaders of regional, provincial and national executive committees of the ANC Youth League across the country rejected the offer of ANC YL President to resign his position as President of the ANC Youth League. The leadership collective elected at the 24th National Congress will thereforeremain in office until the 25th National Congress of the ANC Youth League in June 2014. No leadership of the ANC Youth League which has been mandated by the National Congress will resign their positions until the next Congress. There is no Constitutional basis on the ANC Youth League that allows for removal of leadership of the organisation through a process that do not include the structures and members of the ANC Youth League.
We call on the leadership of the ANC to respect the will of the people and members of the ANC Youth League. There should never be any committee that removes the leadership that was elected uncontested without the consent and agreement of the people. The foreign tradition of trying to remove the leadership of an elected structure of the ANC Youth League without the consent by the people should be nipped in the bud, because if committees remove leaders of the ANC Youth League, they will one day appoint leaders of the ANC Youth League. That will be a complete undermining of the will of the people.
The NEC Lekgotla re-emphasised these central points in the struggle for economic freedom in our lifetime:
· On higher education and training, we emphasise the need the expand the post secondary education and training opportunities, because a growing number of young South Africans desperately seek education and need to be admitted into institutions of higher learning to attain skills, education and expertise. We further re-emphasise our call for the long over-due introduction of free quality education for the poor until undergraduate degree as resolved by the 52nd National Conference of the ANC in December 2007.
· As youth of the ANC, we appreciate the National Youth Service programme and the Military Skills Development System spearheaded by the Department of Defence and Military Veterans. We however believe that these programmes and interventions should be intensified to accommodate as many students and young people as possible due to the extent of the necessity for skills, training and education amongst South Africa’s youth. We further believe that beyond provision of skills, education and expertise to the youth, the Department of Defence should expedite the transformation of the defence industry and economy as it is predominantly white and only benefits the previously advantaged and discriminately preferred communities.
· As young people of the African National Congress, we accept the view that an urgent political intervention to the land question is needed. The massive land disparities in South Africa are not only depressing, but poses a serious danger to the continued stability of South Africa, particularly between those who own the land those who do not own. It will soon not be unjustifiable for the landless South Africans to take land from those who own without consensus. Land is the means to life and constitutes the most important component in the struggle for total economic, social and political emancipation of the dispossessed, deprived and devastated majority of South Africans.
· As youth of the ANC, the Lekgotla expressed concern over the growing disunity of the African continent, particularly the fact that Africa’s division lines are on the basis of each country’s former coloniser. Africans should recognise and appreciate the fact that above the so called Francophone and Anglophone divide as reflected in the recent African Union Commission Chairperson elections, there is a common need for all Africans to unite to defend the political independence and freedom of our countries. The political independence and freedom of all African countries guarantees our common progress, economic integration and total liberation from imperialist, neo-colonial and capitalist domination of majority of African countries.
· The NEC Lekgotla re-affirmed the Freedom Charter’s clarion call that the people shall share in the country’s wealth, particularly the revolutionary commitment that the mineral wealth beneath the soil, monopoly industry and banks shall be transferred to the ownership of the people as a whole. This clarion call underpins our commitment to the struggle for nationalisation of mines and other strategic sectors of the economy. The research report on the State Intervention in the Minerals sector as commissioned by the ANC Secretary General in 2011 does not in any way respond to the ideological and political directive of the ANC National General Council whose resolution read as follows, “There was greater consensus in the commission on the nationalisation of mines and other strategic sectors of the economy. The NGC therefore mandated the NEC to ensure further work be done, including research, study tours and discussions, and to report to the Policy Conference for decision at National Conference in 2012”.
· As youth of the ANC, who respect its democratic tradition and character, we believe that that manner and approach in which the research was conducted and concluded does not in any way respond to the ANC NGC resolution. On that basis, we conclusively reject the research report as it did not do what the NGC said should be done. We will soon compile concrete facts and data on how the many countries that have nationalised their strategic sectors of the economy generate additional income into the fiscus and utilise it for the development of the people and protection of future generations through creation of sovereign wealth funds.
The ANC Youth League wishes to distance itself from the highly circulated video footage of a closed session of the ANC Youth League Lekgotla. The ANC Youth League will seek legal advice on the legal recourse and will further conduct its own internal investigations on where the video emanates from. We further place it on record that the President of the ANC Youth League has full confidence in his legal team, no one imposed the legal team on him and if there were any kind of problems, he could have easily walked away.
The ANC Youth League will continue to engage the leadership and structures of the ANC in the course to find long lasting political solution to all problems confronting the National Liberation Movement. We believe that at the end of the day, what binds the leadership of the ANC and ANC Youth League together is the need to achieve the aims of the Freedom Charter. We will continue to mobilise all branches and structures of the ANC to rally behind the call for nationalisation of mines and expropriation of land without compensation. ASIJIKI! Victory is Certain!
ISSUED BY THE ANC YOUTH LEAGUE
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