The ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) will discuss the progress made in certain provinces, including work by the ANCYL, during a meeting in Pretoria, secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said on Saturday.

 

He said the national working committee (NWC) was giving the NEC updates on Limpopo, the North West, the Eastern Cape and the Free State.

 

“The NWC has been doing a lot of work in those provinces and in the league. So the NEC will get an updated report on the work we are doing there,” Mantashe told reporters.

 

He said branch general meetings had started in the Free State.

 

This comes after a task team was sent to the province in December when the provincial elective committee was disbanded by the party leadership.

 

The task team had until the end of March to hold a new Free State elective conference.

 

Mantashe said on Saturday that this deadline might be extended.

 

“From the report of the NEC team to the Free State we think that we will have to stretch the deadline to end of April.”

 

He said in the Eastern Cape the main problems were at local government level.

 

“There are quite a number of municipalities that are in trouble for one reason or another.”

 

He said the African National Congress’ NEC had been meeting in Pretoria since Friday and it would conclude the meeting on Sunday.

 

“We spent the last day up to now with the induction of the NEC,” Mantashe said.

 

“The induction of the NEC covers the main primary documents of the ANC, its constitution, strategy and tactics and we are now busy with the Freedom Charter.”

 

He said the reason for this was to ensure that the NEC had the same flow of understanding of policy position as the ANC.

 

The NEC was also expected to discuss whether to retain the ANC Youth League’s leadership, or place it under interim leadership.

 

The ANCYL has been led by its deputy president Ronald Lamola since its former president Julius Malema was expelled from the party.

 

In December, Malema sent the ANC conference in Mangaung a letter asking for his job back, but at the time Mantashe said it had been received too late, and that the programme had already been adopted.

 

The ANC and ANCYL have held two meetings this year to discuss weaknesses within the party’s youth wing, including its lack of a permanent leader.

 

Delegates at the ANC conference resolved that the incoming NEC should meet the ANCYL to sort out issues between the two.

 

In his organisational report at the conference, Mantashe said the ANCYL was acting in a similar manner to forces which were against the party.

 

Mantashe would not be drawn on whether the ANC Youth League would be disbanded.

 

“No I don’t know that. We are going to the NEC. We will give you the outcome of the NEC.”

 

Mantashe said the details of the NEC meeting would be given during a press briefing on Monday. – Sapa