The National Youth Task Team (NYTT) says it is important for the ANC Youth League to be an independent organisation if it is to “survive the next phase of its existence, it must assert its autonomy”.
The Youth league was disbanded in 2019 after it failed to hold its elective conference. The ANCYLo was initially given a timeline by the ANC NEC to hold its conference in 2020 but that didn’t materialize.
The party convened its elective congress on Friday but it was hit by a number of delays with delegates struggling with registration, But the conference finally kicked off on Saturday and Deputy Convener of the NYTT, Fasiha Hassan gave a political report at the 26 elective conference on Saturday.
Hassan said the ANCYL must maintain its “autonomy” if it is to survive in the long run.
“By engaging with young people from various backgrounds, amplifying their voices and addressing their concerns, a renewed ANC Youth League aims to invigorate the spirit of activism and mobilise a new generation of leaders committed to the principles of equality, social justice and economic empowerment. This renewal represents a dynamic step towards the revitalisation of youth politics in South Africa and holds the potential to shape the future of our nation.
“If the ANC Youth League is to survive the next phase of its existence, it must assert its autonomy and while we exist in the framework of the ANC and the broader mass democratic movement it is our standing organ that has been compromised by leaders who attached themselves to the hips of elders. We must break this habit and we must determine our own path and our own future as young people starting today,” said Hassan.
