Revolutionary Greetings ANCYL National Executive Committee,
It is not organisational or usual for a member of the ANCYL to write an open letter to the leadership; one is forced to write an open letter to your good selves as a member of the ANCYL in good standing.
I have tried to engage you privately and individually, those who I have access to, including the president and the secretary general. I had hoped that you, comrades, would reflect on some of the issues that I have raised and recommendations that I made to your good selves. One had to even make noise just for the congress resolutions to be made public to us members as a whole and those in society that must have an interest in the ANCYL.
It pains me to see the status of the ANCYL under your leadership as a collective; one can’t keep quite anymore regarding the challenges facing us in the ANCYL. With all the challenges that we are facing in the ANCYL, I don’t think disbandment would bring solutions to our challenges. We have provinces and regions that are no longer in good standing and their terms of office ended over a year ago, including Gauteng, North West, Northern Cape and in Eastern Cape there is a provincial task team.
Now, if we have four provinces not in good standing what does that say about your leadership?
Comrades, under your leadership we have seen more young people not participating in the ANCYL. Some have stopped due to gatekeeping and others don't have faith in your leadership as a collective, among other reasons. Comrades, as a collective you need to be worried when young people who were once politically active in the ANCYL and known to be activists generally, no longer have an interest in participating in the ANCYL while they are still within age.
In many cases, even those who have been pushed out in branches are still activists who can mobilise the community under the banner of the ANC. We need an all-inclusive national congress; membership must be opened to young people that want to participate in the ANCYL. The ANCYL can’t be reduced to “Friends Like These” under your leadership. We need the spirit of comradeship in the ANCYL. You must be worried that ANCYL branches in the greater Johannesburg region marched to your offices demanding branch files on the 26th September 2018, which one seems to know where they are at the moment as they are not at HQ.
Branches are dysfunctional and not program driven. Factionalism has become the order of the day in the ANCYL. Does the ANCYL NEC understand the twin tasks of the organisation? Today one sees ANCYL NEC members crisscrossing the country in the name of the ANCYL's 74th anniversary, cutting cakes in different regions.
While the league is in ICU, we did not see during your term of office, the energy that some ANCYL NEC members seem to have today. Have we become an ANCYL of cutting cakes, one would also want to understand what is the purpose of all these lectures that some of you comrades are addressing. You are just talking to the converted and not reaching out to the youth of South Africa. The ANCYL is at its weakest under your collective leadership.
I don’t think the problems of the ANCYL should be pointed at the president alone. As a collective you have a mandate given to you by congress. What did you comrades do during your era as a collective; you have failed us as members and more especially the youth of South Africa during your term of office. Your NEC is highly divided that you even failed to have a June 16 rally and even rally for the 74th anniversary national rally of the ANCYL. What happened to the annual O.R Tambo games as since your term of office the NEC failed to host O.R Tambo games.
I plead with your good selves to deliver an all-inclusive credible and legitimate national congress. It is a humble plea to you comrades; please don’t allow the ANCYL to die during your era, as history will judge you harshly as the leadership that even failed to even take the ANCYL to its national congress. Comrades, until congress decides otherwise, you are still leaders of the ANCYL and therefore are still mandated to lead. Act in the best interest of the league. Demonstrate the urgency and seriousness with which you should view your responsibilities and duties. You need to remember that the heart and soul of the ANCYL it is the people.
Comradely yours
Rebone Tau
- Tau is a former ANCYL national task team member. She writes in her personal capacity.
