The mother-body will convene a policy conference in no time ahead of its 55th December conference.
The ANCYL wants the ANC’s step-aside policy to be ‘reviewed’ at an upcoming policy conference.
This should be done to look at whether the policy is serving its “intended purpose”, national co-ordinator Joy Maimela has said.
The league also wants to adopt its own step-aside policy at their own elective conference later this year to deal with its own members who are criminally charged.
“We must go straight and call for a policy review of the step-aside policy and say ‘is the policy really impacting in our society?” Maimela said.
She addressed ANCYL delegates attending the Gert Sibande ANCYL elective congress held in Badplaas the past weekend.
“We must ask ourselves if the policy is achieving its intended purpose and if its application is consistent,” Maimela said, to which other delegates were heard saying they feel the policy is used to fight factional battles.
The policy was adopted at the ANC’s 2012 conference but was only implemented in 2020 by the NEC following the arrest of secretary-general Ace Magashule on corruption charges.
The policy wants all members who are criminally charged to step-aside from their positions pending the finalisation of the court process.
Maimela said the reason for the policy was to ensure that the “problems of those who are criminally charged do not become the problem of the ANC”. Therefore comrades are asked to step-aside and deal with their criminal accusations without involving the ANC.
It is the most contentious policy of the ANC so far, even than the economic transformation policy. Some comrades believe the policy is used by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s camp to purge those they don’t agree with, especially those belonging to former President Jacob Zuma’s RET camp.
They have accused Ramaphosa of using state-resources to target political opponents.
Maimela said the policy was meant to deal with the party’s “reputational damage”. It was meant to ensure that as an ANC we can maintain an image of a non-corrupt ANC,” she said.
The league is currently convening regional conferences across the country in preparation for its national conference later this year.
Supporters of convenor Nonceba Mhlauli and those of spokesperson Sizophila Mkhize are at each other’s throat over who should be ANCYL President between the two.
Both slates want Maimela as the secretary-general. Mkhize is seen as having the support of the RET camp in KZN while Mhlauli is seen as being aligned to Ramaphosa’s CR22 camp.
The Gert Sibande ANCYL conference elected James ‘Castro’ Nkosi as regional chair, deputised by Bongani Zulu, secretary Maqhawe Mlotshwa, deputised by Muziwakhe Thabethe and treasurer Pamela Kedikanetsoe.
The league conferences are currently pushing justice minister Ronald Lamola to contest the position their of ANC deputy president ahead of the ANC’s 55th national conference in December 2022.
(edited by MLM)
Send tip-offs to editor@013.co.za
