Gauteng ANCYL withdraws Life Esidimeni charges
Johannesburg – The ANC Youth League in Gauteng is to withdraw charges of corruption and culpable homicide which it laid against former health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and calls for Premier David Makhura to resign.
In a statement released following the ANC’s provincial executive committee meeting the league said it withdrew its “unfortunate remarks directed at the leadership of the ANC in Gauteng”. They received a tongue lashing from the ANC at national level.
The ANC reprimanded the league for using the deaths of 94 patients in the Life Esidimeni tragedy to grand stand.
“All structures of our movement should be focusing their energies on supporting the bereaved families; it is not the time for squabbling around leadership positions,” said the ANC on Friday.
It further called on the party in Gauteng to “strongly reprimand” the league for its “inhumane behaviour”.
Mahlangu stepped down just hours before the health ombudsman made public the findings into the circumstances around the saga.
“Our remarks in the two statements issued on Wednesday and Thursday were unfortunate and could have undermined efforts by the ANC-led provincial government to deal effectively with the tragic and painful situation,”
The league also apologised to the affected families and those who were misrepresented by its remarks and actions.
It said the decision to backtrack on its position in the matter came following a robust engagement with the ANC’s PEC.
The league said it would withdraw charges against Mahlangu, withdraw the call for the premier to step down and be arrested and to distance itself from those questioning the competence of Dr Gwen Ramokgopa, who has been appointed to fill in for Mahlangu following her resignation.
The league also placed some blame on the media, claiming it had misled the public and the ANCYL in Gauteng, which it said blindly, attacked the executive “even following the first resignation by an MEC in South Africa”.
