E-Cape ANCYL speaks out

2008-10-14 22:15

Johannesburg - The ANCYL in the Eastern Cape has distanced itself from public statements made by members who vouched support for the looming formation of a new political party by former defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota, they said in a statement on Tuesday.

"As officials of the ANCYL, we wish to state without any fear of sounding ambiguous that the members who issued the statement on the support of the convention are neither members nor leaders of our organisation," said provincial secretary Ayanda Matiti.

On Sunday, City Press newspaper published a story regarding the public pronouncement by ANC members in the Eastern Cape in support of Lekota's breakaway party.

According to the report, a number of ANC branches from the Amahlathi sub-region walked out of a party meeting in Stutterheim saying they were tired of Zuma's ANC which was "full of arrogant thugs" and vouching their readiness to heed Lekota's planned divorce from the ANC.

But Matiti has described the situation as "the last kicks of an old, fat, stinking dying horse.

"Another meeting was held by these people yesterday (Monday) and we want to assure members of our society that instead of leaving the ANC under [the] pretence that the ANC has aborted the freedom charter, leaders of the ANCYL and the ANC will defend the ANC as young revolutionaries against the individuals who wish to steal the ANC amongst its membership."

He said ANC members should rally together to "unmask" those involved with the Lekota faction.

"We should, as leaders of the ANC in the province, help in unmasking some of the role-players in the so-called convention. Over and above Mluleki George in the province, we have leaders who have been sitting in private factional meetings... resolving to recruit members of the ANC for the party of convention and what perturbs us the most is the fact that some of the names mentioned are part of the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC," Matiti said.

He said ANC leaders involved with the likes of Mluleki George were "unfit to lead the ANC.

"We therefore call on the National Executive Committee of the ANC to be fair and just to its members and dissolve this leadership."

While the ANCYL in the Western Cape's Chris Hani branch has criticised the "unruly" league president Julius Malema, saying they regretted having supported him in his campaign to lead the league, Matiti said they supported Malema's leadership.

"We wish to state unambiguously that we support the leadership of Comrade Julius Malema and how he has expressed himself on congress resolutions taken at the 23rd Nasrec congress," he said.

- SAPA