The former slammed the current ones following a meeting on Saturday which the current ones snubbed.
Former leaders of the ANCYL in the Nkangala region have accused the current ones – both mother-body and the league – of gate-keeping and continuing to tear the ANC apart by sidelining those who have been through its preparatory schools.
Andile Lungisa and Steven Ngubeni addressed a well attended meeting at the Portuguese hall in eMalahleni on Saturday.
Lungisa served as deputy president of the ANCYL before being kicked out by then controversial leader Julius Malema ahead of the Gallagher Estate congress that saw then Premier David Mabuza’s spokesman, Ronald Lamola, emerging as Juju’s deputy.
Ngubeni served as deputy national secretary during this time.
The former leaders – who included Lucky Ndinisa, Bertwell Sibanyoni, Lindiwe Mtsweni and Hamzer Ngwenya – organised the Saturday event as part of uniting the ANC and “bringing the ‘graduates’ who have been ostracised back to the ANC”.
But the event was snubbed and criticised by the league in both the Nkangala region and Mpumalanga province as bogus and organised by ‘faceless’ individuals who were misusing the league’s logo for own interests.
The office of Nkangala regional league secretary James Makhwiting on Friday night distanced itself from the event organised by the “coterie and cavaranserai former youth league leaders”.
“As the ANCYL in the region, we wish to put it on record that we have not mandated anybody to speak on our behalf in relation to issues affecting us and our constituency, and more over to the prime matters of the upcoming regional congress of the ANC in the region,” the Nkangala league said.
Provincial league secretary Pholoso Mbatsane late on Saturday said they were utterly disgusted by the ‘faceless groups’ using the league’s logo.
“We are infuriated by these recent desperate act of some faceless groupie[s], who continues to use the name and logo of our movement to organise factional events and perpetuate division in our movement.
“The ANCYL in Mpumalanga strongly believes that these are anxious attempts to undermine efforts by the provincial chair of the ANC comrade DD to unite all MDM structures and dismantle all factional groups within the province,” Mbatsane said.
But the group hit back at the league, saying their statements showed they have privatised the ANC and didn’t want anybody nearer.
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Recently axed eMalahleni municipal spokesman and spokesman for the group of the former leaders,, Lebohang Mofokeng, who also served in the REC of the Nkangala league during the time when region’s ANC leader was Charles Makua, said he saw the statements of the league and wished to remind them that as former leaders they won’t come back and lead the league again.
“They do have the tendency of gate-keeping, not only them – the ANC as well,” Mofokeng said.
“We don’t want positions,” he said.
“We just want recognition as former leaders of the ANCYL, that we’re still alive and let them come and join hands with us and involve us in all ANC programmes,” Mofokeng said.
He said they have been “put in the periphery” and not allowed to participate in the ANC, “our only home”.
“The manner in which they released the statements it seems they view us as a threat, as if we’re here to take their positions. We’re not here for that, we’re here to assist, strengthen the ANC to win elections in 2019,” he said.
Ngubeni told the crowds at the Portuguesse hall on Saturday mid-day that an e-mail inviting the Nkangala league to the event had been sent but Makhwiting said this was untrue and whoever said it should supply the proof.
(edited by PM)
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