Moloko Moloto, writing for IOL, was reporting yesterday that the ANC in Limpopo was considering reconvening the disputed youth league provincial conference which would come as a political blow to ANCYL president Julius Malema.
The gist of the article was that the Limpopo provincial executive committee met with Lehlogonolo Masoga — ostracised by Malema for running a parallel youth structure and who had launched an urgent application (which has been remanded to a later date) to interdict Malema from expelling him from the party — in order to resolve outstanding issues.
According to Moloto the meeting was aimed at brokering a deal for Masoga to drop the case and allow the youth league’s conference to be reconvened.
Though the IOL reporter could not establish whether this was the deal reached he did confirm that Masoga was pleased with the meeting calling it “fruitful and a success”.
Of course we recently had the case of Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale being chased out of a meeting by angry members of the ANC in the Waterberg region. This allegedly for his being there was to convey a decision taken by the provincial working committee that the Waterberg region should be disbanded for “failing to provide political leadership”.
Malema interestingly enough was also present at that meeting. An ANC leader in the region, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Sowetan that the decision to disband the regional structure was taken because “members differed with Mathale’s supporters”. He added that the plan by Mathale and his supporters was to ensure that the region went to next year’s local government elections led by a task team favourable to them so that they could appoint mayors and councillors who were in their good books.
This of course was also the case when the ANCYL evicted opponents of Malema from their conference in Limpopo.
If, however, the provincial leadership of the party has now brokered the deal set out above then it will go a long way towards restoring confidence in the region and strike a major blow for democracy.
In essence it sends a signal to those who would contrive results by shutting down regions and evicting opponents in order to gain an advantage at elective conferences that their opponents won’t just roll over and play dead or accept their fate as a fait accompli.
Instead they will go to court, evict party leaders or even approach the NEC or PEC — as the case may be — in order to make themselves heard.
This means that the wishes of the members on the ground, who elect delegates to attend conferences, now have a chance of being heard and, if they are the majority, carried out.
This lends itself to the belief that there are channels that can be followed where a breakdown in the system occurs. That excludes the need for violence and other unwelcome methods being employed. The situation of the ANCYL in the Eastern Cape comes to mind with a model for reconciliation provided by Limpopo.
Whether Malema likes it or not and regardless of whether the step was agreed grudgingly the ANC are to be complimented on their decision to take it.
Following this approach will strengthen the ties that bind rather than stretch them to breaking point.
This is not about Malema per se,it is about material resources to be gained in the ANC.Characters like Malema,Malusi Gicaba,Fikile Mbalula and their subordinates display a life of wealth,success and material acquisition like expensive cars,clothes and drinks and eat good whiskey,food that every youth want for themselves.
This is the ANC that made Saki,Smuts,Tokyo,Cyril,Bulelani very wealthy being and no one in the ANC want to be left behind hence courts are used when ballot boxes does not favour others.
Simply said,the ANC adore their Youth League Presidents from time immemorial and attaining such position gives one a life long leadership in the party.While you Jonathan are long gone,Malema will be still be on our tongues for a very long time
Reminds me somewhat of what is happening with COPE. Petty squabbles grubbing for power and positions.
Ah, so this is why the local branch of the ANCYL disrupters and saboteurs of local government has been quiet for a while, they are too busy fighting themselves for a change. Who actually cares anymore what the ANC kids get up to as long as they don’t do it somewhere close to where we stay?
It definitely is good that organisational issues will be dealt with through internal structures. The problematic precedence though, is that we have a new understanding of democratic centralism.
malema will be history very soon. he created many enemies than frinds in the public and the ANC. his greed is what will kill him because he made damage beyond repair on himself. all past leaders of the youth league he is trying to immitate where very disciplined and had respect. he behave as if he is owning this country. this country does not deserve to be held ransom by a small boy who only want benefit through nationalisation. he only want to benefit because the state will buy those mines from the private companies.these private companies are owned by his friends and they stand to benefit billions on the deals hence they will give him little billions. come next year, malema will be full time at seshego in the cold, not in luthuli house.
The ANC is like the mayhem and madness of Monty Python….just without the humour and loveable quick wit. The faster we get rid of this festering rabble of plebs the better. Enough is enough.
I lived through the dying days of the National Party. The end for the Nats didn’t start with the release of Mandela, or the dismal Rubicon speech; it started with the info scandal and the writing was on the wall from that moment.
Their loyal followers could no longer claim the “moral high ground” that the Nats peddled, by selling themselves as guardians of Christendom and capitalism. It took another 10 years, but they never recovered from that.
The ANC finds itself in the same position, and the Arms Deal was the beginning of their end. Julius is just another accellerant to their inevitable demise.
When Malema fell out of favour with JZ he wrote his own obituary. This is very telling because whilst he was publically humiliating and insulting dignified, highly regarded members of the ANC including Mbeki, Zola Skweyiya and Kader Asmal to name a few, opposition leaders, millions of South Africans, and people of the world generally all was well with JZ and his faulty leadership. He only lost favour when he actually came up against JZ. Makes you think! Inflated egos and self-serving attitudes amongst the present runing elite has the potential to bring this country to its knees. Lesson for Jube Jube – Overconfidence is a recipe for disaster!
@ X Cepting
Where is this place you stay?A former White area?Comments like yours still make us believe that there is still “us” and “them” in our country.I think you should really worry that one day you may have JM as President of our country.Blacks are a majority in this country and have overwhelmingly voted ANC.So if the ruling party fields a person of JM as its preferred candidate, we may have him as President.Any efforts to start a new party or revive old ones may be a hassle.Who knows what kind of experience, if you take off your bigoted hat,you may bring in the ANC or any other party fighting racism,sexism,land dispossession,etc?
Anyway your comment suggests I am talking to a brickwall.Good luck.
@Mike: you’re so detached from reality my friend. I’m not a member of the ANC but being one of the masses, I can tell you now, you’re reading and watching the news.
the wrong news, I meant.
@Phemelo – Ah, that is how one get misunderstanding. Your comments are valid if my comment was seen in the light of: “I do not care about politics or the possibility that JM will become president” but if you see it from the point of view of: “I very much care about my country and who becomes president, but the ANC and its criminal buddies are not it and definitely, in my majority black neighbourhood, not the party of choice anymore and you might find the majority giggling at the mention of JM for president”, then perhaps you might have a different opinion on my comment.
The majority of black South Africans are not as stupid as the current ANC makes them out to be, at least, the ones I call neighbours aren’t. The ANC is not fighting for anything more than their pockets anymore and are not really interested (by their actions) in sorting out any of the things you mention, which is of real concern to us, the majority.
Yes, there is an “us” and “them”, namely the small group (them) who is stealing everyone else’s (our) hard work, for very little in return. So, if you find that blowing a Chinese vuvuzela is an important thing for you to do, go ahead, just not where my ears are going to be damaged.
A time comes when a machine is just too uneconomical to repair anymore, which is when it should be replaced.
This country needs leaders who care about its people. Does it really matter to which political party they belong? Perhaps Cope’s leaders were part of the problem at the ANC. But only part. Proven by the fact that the ANC appears no better without them.
South Africans only need to ask how much the people they intend to vote for care about their well being…after 16 years, you have proof positive that either the ruling ANC doesn’t care about the poor or that it is simply too incompetent to put things right. We all have plenty of proof of their self-absorption. Whether JM or JZ, it seems they spend far more time feathering their own nests than bringing comfort and empowerment to their voters.
@ X Cepting. Very well said, Sir.
I read your respone to Phemolo x2 and it baffled me to understand how Phemolo could have misinterpreted the meaning of your original comment. Maybe, a condition that is unfortunately very common among his own ilk and those that continue to blindly ,mindlessly and recklessly, support the ANC. A condition:….”Of noone is as blind as those that do not want to see!”.
Hi All
We need to acnowledge that our democracy is thriving…never thought I’d say it after the immense damage Mbeki had managed to do. The fact is that Mr. Zuma is a good premier and that he is making the right moves. Yes, we may not agree with everything; who does? But give credit where it is due. And on that point I would like to congratulate Danny Jordaan. Man; what a helluva job! Unbelievable the way he managed to juggle the politics (and very powerful people at that!) with the job at hand. I stand in awe…
Jonas Barbarossa – about Danny Jordaan I couldn’t agree more. What a phenomenal man and really humble too. He never seems to try get into the limelight – just puts his head down and works like a man possessed. Reminds me of that quote “A lot of good can be done in the world if one is not too concerned about who gets the credit.” Well done to him and and his team.
Hi Rose. Yes; the difficult part is that someone who does not take the credit (the leader) is sometimes slated as being a bad leader. It is up to us (the public out there) to acknowledge him and to ensure that his legacy survives. There is a lesson there for all (politicians especially) about how to get the job done! As acknowledged by Tata Msholozi in the news conference – credit to him too. Us Africans (yes, whites too) can learn from this example how to respect the African Way and still get the job done. I hope there is a book SOON that will elucidate how he (Jordaan) went about it. It should be an interesting read and also tell us things about ourselves (as Africans/South Africans) that would make us more exportable to the International labour markets.
Julius who?