Building bridges, connecting to rebuild and grow the ANC Youth League
All should applaud the steps being taken by the ANC top leadership to meet with and guide the ANC YL. If media reports are anything to go by it is unfortunate, to say the least, that the ANC leadership failed to meet with the Youth League since 2011. First and foremost our political understanding is that as soon as the league concluded its conference, it would have had to be inducted by the mother body and its resolutions ratified such that they could not find themselves on the wrong side of the ANC constitution and policies while they were implementing their conference resolutions.
While we all agree that the process and events that culminated in the expulsion of Julius Malema were unfortunate, it is critical that the ANC YL restore its relationship with the ANC. The recent history also points out a flaw in the internal political dynamics of our movement, whereby the personalities overshadow structural operations and relations.
The lack of engagement between the leadership of the ANC and the YL should not have been allowed were the leaders able to rise beyond the difficulties presented by personal views and utterances made with regards to leadership preferences.
As members of the ANC and the society at large, especially the youth, it is in our interest to have a fully functional Youth League that is having a solid relationship with its mother body. How would the Youth League champion the interests of youth if it is not taken seriously by the ANC?
We need to also applaud the Youth League for being brave, sober and realising that the Mangaung Conference of the ANC has come and gone so it is prudent that they not suffer from what Ronald Lamola refers to as "Mangaung hangover". The delegates democratically elected the leaders they preferred and this must be respected. All within the ANC, including the ANC Youth League, must be prepared to rally behind this leadership notwithstanding their preferences prior the Conference; that is how things work - majority rules.