They say the province has done nothing to help them.
ANCYL branches from three sub-regions in the Nkangala region of Mpumalanga aligned to contender Ndumiso Mokako took their anger to party headquarters in Gauteng.
They want national office to disband the Nkangala ANCYL regional executive committee for “not doing the work it was elected for”.
They say REC deployees have been snubbing their BGMs for weeks now, allegedly because they favour candidates different from those preferred by the REC.
Those picketing outside Luthuli House are the chairs and secretaries from 20 Thembisile Hani branches as well as 27 from JS Moroka and 5 from Steve Tshwete.
Regional spokesman Banele ‘Masheleni’ Nkosi has said that the reason the REC didn’t come to their BGMs was because these branches never sent an invite to the REC but instead to the PEC.
One of the picketers, William Mokwele, a secretary from ward 18 in JS Moroka, said other branches that the REC attended were not given the printed attendant register by the REC deployee and this was done “deliberately” in order to “deny them” at a later stage.
“When they don’t give you the printed attendant register from the region to sign next to your name as a branch member and only give you a piece of paper to write on with a pen you will fail the audit,” Mokwele said.
He said they would picket the whole day outside Luthuli until national leader Collen Maine or secretary Njabulo Nzuza comes to attend them.
Just after mid-day on Friday, the NEC sent one of their members to go hear the branches but the branches refused to be addressed by this NEC member, saying they will picket till Maine or Nzuza attend to them and they give him “the petition”.
WATCH VIDEO BELOW
“We are living in a very divided region. The chairperson [Bobo Mtshweni] has his own REC members on his side and the secretary [Thabang Mathebula] has his own. A very divided region and we never elected them to be divided but to service us as branches,” Mokwele said on the sideline of the picket.
The Mpumalanga province is preparing a provincial congress set for 7 December 2018. The national one is set for 16 December 2018.
The branches are divided between those who want Mokako and those who want Pholoso Mbatsane for the position of national secretary.
The Mokako group wants Trevor Nkosi to be the provincial chair while the Mbatsane group wants Thabang Mathebula as the chair.
This week the Nkangala REC said those those who choose to operate “outside the parameters” of ANCYL will be dealt with.
“They will face very serious consequences,” regional spokesman Masheleni Nkosi said.
(edited by ZK)
Send tip-offs to editor@013.co.za
