- The ANC NYTT has distanced itself from a poster recruiting Youth League members to a military camp.
- NYTT co-ordinator Sibongile Besani said the poster was irresponsible.
- The poster comes amid racial tensions after a farm murder in Senekal.
The ANC's national youth task team (NYTT) has distanced itself from a poster purported to recruit Youth League members for a planned military training camp.
NYTT co-ordinator Sibongile Besani told News24 that the so-called military camp was not supported by anyone in the organisation.
"It's an act of irresponsibility," he said.
The poster claiming to be from the ANC Youth League's Fezile Dabi region in the Free State, was for recruiting party members for military training, hiking, gun handling, gorilla tactics and political education.
This came as racial tensions in Senekal in the Free State flared up after the murder of farm manager Brendin Horner.
A statement from Lonwabo Dyi, who claimed to be a member of the ANC Youth League Provincial Task Team, also distanced itself from the poster, challenging its regions to educate themselves with the history of military wings, in particular, the formation of uMkhonto We Sizwe.
In the statement, Dyi said uMkhonto We Sizwe's existence previously, was to assist in the liberation of the country through guerrilla tactics, as a response to an enemy that attacked defenceless people.
"Our unity today and response to all hitherto, will be to organise against the capitalist system that breeds unemployment, poverty and violence. Our capitalist system, has a base of racial-inequality, therefore such characterises the superstructure of our material conditions.
"It is therefore important that we understand these contemporary, basic issues in our politics. Not limited to that, corruption plays a major role and oversight on eroding and rolling back the gains of our revolution. As the ANCYL, it is important that we re-read the ANC Strategy and Tactics of 2007, in particular."
Leadership
The league had been divided over its leadership in the past.
Dyi was dismissed as a leader in 2016, but he dismissed claims that he was no longer a part of the structure.
Meanwhile, ANC Eastern Cape chair Oscar Mabuyane also spoke out against the military camp during a cadre forum.
"The brand and logo of the ANCYL can't be associated with thoughtless calls for youth military camps in defence of the revolution. The ANCYL should be condemning violence and those that are instigating it, rather than promoting it. Instead of mobilising young people to carry guns, the Youth League should be encouraging the youth to carry books, to read and write and to make education fashionable."
Mabuyane added that young people needed an ANCYL that would promote youth entrepreneurship, building the cooperative sectors and innovation, as opposed to tender-preneurship.
"The Youth League must cleanse itself from crass materialism and ensure that young people join it to advance youth interests and to further the vision of the ANC. It must insulate and cleanse itself from those who join and lead the ANCYL for self-enrichment and to obtain ill-gotten and overnight wealth."