Lungisa exclusion from board welcomed
2012-08-03 18:00
Johannesburg - AfriForum Youth has welcomed the news that National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) board chairperson Andile Lungisa will not be a part of the agency's next board.
"Under Lungisa's leadership the NYDA incurred fruitless expenditure during the past financial year amounting to R2m," said AfriForum Youth national chairperson Charl Oberholzer in a statement on Friday.
Oberholzer accused the NYDA of abusing tenders, paying out hefty bonuses and overspending on the World Festival of Youth and Students.
"It is clear that the NYDA has completely lost its ability to be financially sustainable," Oberholzer said.
Business Day reported that a parliamentary ad hoc committee responsible for selecting the new board had recommended seven candidates.
Lungisa, an ally of former ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, was excluded.
Oberholzer said his organisation believed the exclusion was done for political reasons.
"Institutions such as the NYDA, which have the upliftment of the youth as [their] responsibility, are not supposed to be subjected to political games," Oberholzer said.
The recommended names reportedly are former SA Student Congress leader Xoliswa Bambiso; deputy national chairperson of the Inkatha Freedom Party Youth Brigade, Zandile Majozi, ANCYL members Muthupi Modiba, Kenny Morolong and Maropene Ntuli; and, Young Communist League members Yershen Pillay and Nyalleng Potloana.
The committee's recommendations will be presented to the National Assembly on Tuesday for approval.
The approved list of names will then be sent to President Jacob Zuma for a final decision.
There were several calls to disband the NYDA after it hosted the unsuccessful World Festival of Youth and Students in December 2010.
The nine-day event, dubbed the "kissing festival" after delegates were seen playing kissing games while waiting for sessions to begin, was plagued by disorganisation and was reportedly R100m over budget.
Several speakers failed to turn up. The NYDA reportedly spent millions on balloons, confetti, musicians, poets, backpacks, caps, golf shirts, bottled water and even a tombstone for the event.
- SAPA
