ANCYL deputy president Desmond Moela has hinted that as the ANCYL they will support Premier David Mabuza for the ANC position of president.
Moela was addressing the league’s Radical Economic Transformation Assembly in Badplaas on Sunday afternoon and said they wanted to engage with the ANCWL on their preferred candidate.
The ANCWL wants ex-AU chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to emerge as the party’s first female president in December 2017 but Moela told the crowds at Badplaas’ Manzana cultural centre that they wanted to engage the ANCWL on that.
Without mentioning Dlamini-Zuma by name, Moela said: “You know what these other micky mouse parties do, they fill in young people in Parliament. Young people who are able to engage and you still want to put old people, people who can’t even do door-to-door, no comrades it can’t be. ANCWL come let’s engage. It can’t be correct. Let’s engage, because we believe there’s a room for engagement and if you feel strongly that you’re ready to take over South Africa and lead this country please come let’s engage and give us the best candidate that can lead this organisation, not someone that you see is old and even when that person walks you can see the time is over”.
Dlamini- Zuma turned 68 on 27 January 2017 while Mabuza will turn 57 on 25 August 2017.
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“As the ANCYL we have not yet pronounced ourselves and we will do that through proper channels and structures of our organisation and we’ll make sure that we put young people to lead the ANC and when we say we want young people we might not be referring to this generation but to people like comrade DD Mabuza because we believe they are still young and they can take the organisation forward,” Moela said to thunderous applause.
“I’ve never seen the best chairperson other than the chairperson of Mpumalanga,” he said, provoking further thunderous applause from the scores of youth league member.
David Mabuza. MfisoDIGITAL/MLM.
Moela said the reason he said Mabuza was capable of taking the ANC forward was not because “I’m also from Mpumalanga”.
“No, is because I know the good work he has done in Mpumalanga, why not comrade DD becoming president?” Moela asked.
This can be interpreted to mean that the Premier League leader might emerge as President Jacob Zuma’s successor.
Moela also lauded Gert Sibande chairman Muzi Chirwa for “taking care of young people” and said he was unlike other leaders in other regions “who don’t care about young people” and said when the time comes they will remove them.
Moela said if the SACP wanted to divorce the ANC, “let them do it and leave us with our movement”.
He further welcomed the resignations of the three ANC MPs who resigned a week – Dipuo Peters, Mcebisi Jonas and Tina Joemat-Petterson – and said if there were still more others “we are waiting for them because as young people we need those seats”.
The group says they believe the election of Gijimani to the region’s number one job will ‘re-energise’ the ANC.
A lobby group that wants JS Moroka local municipality mayor Gijimani Skosana has begun lobbying.
This week regional spokesman Sello Motshega said branch audits have been completed and they were now waiting for the results to begin the succession race debate.
Regions across the country are preparing for regional congresses in preparation for the national conference in December 2017.
The lobby group that wants Skosana to emerge as the chairman of the ANC in the Nkangala region is opposed to current chairman Speedy Mashilo’s bid for a third term as leader of Mpumalanga’s richest region.
Skosana, who led the YCL as its secretary in the region, has the backing of the South African Communist Party and other disgruntled ANC members but the Mashilo group, wanting to ‘maintain the status quo’, is likely to emerge and retain the chairmanship.
Mashilo, who is also the MEC of human settlement in the Mpumalanga province, is believed to have the blessing of provincial chairman David Mabuza to retain his post as regional chairman.
One of the campaigners for Skosana to take over from Mashilo, Michael Mahlangu, a branch secretary in JS Moroka sub-region’s ward 14 and ANCYL PEC member, said a young person like Skosana would re-energise the ANC.
“We want somebody who can radicalise the ANC,” he said.
“Someone younger and militant, “he said, adding “over 70% of the branches” in the sub-region wants Skosana.
In eMakhazeni sub-region, there is also another group aligned to the one that wants Skosana to replace Mashilo but eMakhazeni sub-regional convener Andries Mabena said the branches have not yet pronounced on the succession debate “as there were still processes to be followed”, before referring queries to regional spokesman Sello Matshoga, who told 013NEWS that “branches still have to wait for audit results” before pronouncing on their preferred leaders.
The SACP in the region is expected to meet on Tuesday to discuss the regional succession race, regional spokesman January Kabini confirmed.
The four regions of Mpumalanga – Bohlabelo, Ehlanzeni, Gert Sibande and Nkangala – are expected to elect leadership in the first week of April 2017 and all are positioned to elect leaders who will be favourable to Mabuza’s ambition for national office.
Muzi Chirwa opens succession debate, lobbies Mabuza for top six
The leader of the ANC in the Gert Sibande region in Mpumalanga has in effect opened the succession debate of the ANC, giving clear indications who they want to lead the party nationally.
ANC Gert Sibande regional chairman Muzi Chirwa has told delegates attending the party’s regional lekgotla over the weekend that it was not a secret that they wanted provincial chairman David Mabuza to go up and form part of the ANC’s top six nationally.
The ANC in the region convened its own lekgotla on Sunday morning following a provincial lekgotla a three weeks ago.
“Comrades, we are aware that as we prepare for 2017, ourselves as Mpumalanga province we are sending one of our own in the top six,” he said.
“I’m saying comrades as a Mpumalanga province we are gearing up for DD Mabuza to be in the top six. But not at all costs,” Chirwa said.
He told delegates that sending Mabuza nationally would depend on whether the ANC would remain united by such a move and “that’s why I’m saying we are not preparing to send him to the top six at all costs,” he said.
Mabuza could be the deputy president of the ANC when it convenes its national congress next year.
He is believed to be a leader of an ANC lobby group called Premier League, which is made out of most of the country’s provincial leaders and is aligned to President Jacob Zuma.
The Premier League wants AU chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to replace Zuma in next year’s congress and Mabuza is lobbied to deputise her.
However a month ago a highly placed source told 013NEWS that the plan was actually for Mabuza to emerge as the President of the ANC
The SACP and Cosatu are believed to be backing Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa for the party’s number one job and General Secretary Gwede Mantashe as deputy.
Chirwa was elected the new regional chairman during an April special congress after chairman Vusi Shongwe went to the province’s top five as treasurer.
The Gert Sibande region is led by Chirwa as chairman, Audrey Maleka as secretary, Lindi Masina as deputy secretary and Vusi Motha as Chirwa’s deputy. Khosi Kota is the region’s treasurer.
In an interview with 013NEWS before going to the lekgotla’s breakaway discussion groups on Sunday mid-day, Chirwa repeated they didn’t want sending Mabuza up “to occur at all costs”.
“It’s now known [who we lobby for] but the processes are not yet opened.
“When that space opens, we enter that space humbly, respecting the processes of the ANC and we say, it is our wish that the chairperson of the province is elected to the top six and at the current moment we are not going to say for which position,” Chirwa said.
The lekgotla discussed a number of things – including how best to speed up services to the poor, economic development of youths and uniting the alliance partners “by respecting one another”.
“Respect is important comrades. We are not here to dominate one another. We must support one another, not tear one another apart,” Chirwa said.
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