BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
The ANCYL in the people’s province of North West is hereby putting public its view on the recent political developments across our province and nationally.

Preparation to the 25th National Congress

The process of preparing for the national congress of the ANCYL is nearing its conclusion. Branch General Meetings have taken place, members of the ANCYL have been and are still busy on discussions of policy and what ought to be the program of the ANCYL post the 25th National congress.

ANCYL spokesperson in North West, Tshiamo Tsotetsi said it is worth noting that this exercise has been taking place concurrently with the nomination of branch delegates and the nomination of the preferred leadership outlook of the incoming NEC.

“The PEC is glad to express that branches of the ANCYL around the province in their overwhelming numbers have proved to be in agreement with the position of the PEC to forward our provincial chairperson Cde. Collen Mokone Maine as the preferred candidate for the ANC Youth league presidency,” he said.

Tsotetsi said the name of comrade Desmond Moela has also been making decisive rounds amongst the branch nominations to stand as the deputy president to the presidency of Collen Maine.

He said the process is thus far free of violence or intimidation and those with contrary view are accepting majority views with the necessary discipline of the movement. “This process is in many ways giving an indication that the youth of the ANC are more than ready to restore the founding values, principle and discipline of our beloved Youth League.”

The PEC will later in the month of August organise a PGC of all branches that have qualified to go to congress, where in the general position of the province will be adopted as a final stage of gearing ourselves for the 25th national congress.

“We are continuing to advance the mandate of the PEC of extensively engaging with other provinces to explain our position unto them and familiarising them with the leadership qualities entailed by our preferred candidate for the youth league presidency. As the province we also quite happy about the warm manner in which other provinces are accepting our delegation and are thus far showing the overwhelming willingness to join the ship of restoring the culture, discipline and the historic general organisational decorum of the ANCYL.”

“We are once again reminding members of the ANCYL to continue utilising these BGM’s as the platforms of building the strong organisation and ensuring that they produce the ANCYL that is ready to take youth development matters head on particularly in the branch levels,” he said.

Planned massive retrenchments in the mining sector

The ANCYL in the North West province noted with disgust the intensions of Lonmin and other mining companies to retrench masses of our people in order to protect their massive profits in the midst of the global financial crisis.

“We wish to caution these mining houses that the execution of such intentions, will result in the total shut down of such mines by the youth of the North West province, until such a time that they will be properly ran by government on behalf of the people.

“For it is increasingly becoming impossible to explain to our people, the reason why their own minerals are still not giving them employment, funding the education of their children and providing them with the quality health care.”

Tsotetsi said yet the very same people who are massively looting minerals turns to be courageous enough to easily jump to a conclusion of retrenching the workers whenever they deem it necessary to do so.

“We call on the CEO of Lonmin and Amplats to cut their annual salary and that of top executives with no less than 50%, in the period of this financial crisis to cater for and save the jobs of the masses of mine workers that they are intending to retrench.

“For as long as the mine bosses are earning millions, we the youth of North west province are refusing to accept the notion that these mines are feeling the pinch of the financial crisis. We therefore further call on them to respond to their social responsibilities and begin to build necessary facilities such as libraries, recreational centres, sports facilities, empower youth and women, MME’s and cooperatives and give the youth bursaries to further their education,” he said.

The ANCYL will initiate a process of engaging with all leading sectors of the economy in the province with an intention of pushing them to place the interest of the youth central to their operation, and further lobby them to adopt the patriotic character of placing the interest of nation building before those of maximising accumulation

On the South African Rugby team and general transformation

“Our rugby team is currently preparing for yet another world cup that will take place later in 2015. The ANCYL take note of the successes that the country has registered within this concerned sporting code.

“However the racially informed method of team selection only serve to compromise what the new South Africa stands for, the rainbow nation can’t only reflect on the spectators grand stands it must also be visible on the South African team. This matter can’t always be postponed, because it deepens the racial divides in sport and translate to the country in general,” Tsotetsi said.

The ANCYL wants to challenge the national congress to have a general discussion on the visible slow pace of transformation in all areas that were dominated by white people before 1994. “It is clear, starting from the economy right up to the sports activities, that less is being done by a white community to integrate itself into our diverse nation.”

The ANCYL says the status quo can’t be ignored forever. The people of South Africa all deserve to feel the warmth of freedom beyond the RDP houses and the social grants. “Our people must be free to enter North West University Potchefstroom campus without feeling like they are not in their own country. Our people must participate in agriculture and not be excluded from accessing the market,” he said.

ANCYL in North West said the fees of these multi-racial and private schools must not be used to close the black majority from accessing them.

“The question of race relations must be re-opened in the country and it must start with the youth league at its national congress. Our failure to confront these issues will undermine the efforts of our greatest giants of the liberation struggle and the liberation struggle as a whole.”

He said democracy will never mean anything to people if they continue to see a certain part of the nation with all the privileges amassed from our dark past and still sustain them today.
-TDN
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