The ANC in the Eastern Cape has banned its youth league from fielding candidates in student elections.
The party resolved at its provincial general council (PGC) in Mthatha last weekend to allow only the South African Students Congress (Sasco) to contest student representative council elections (SRCs) at all institutions of higher learning in the province.
The PGC was held in preparation for the ANC’s national general council (NGC) at Gallagher Estates in Gauteng tomorrow.
Sasco, which has been operating in the institutions under the banner of the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) together with the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) and Young Communist League (YCL), has so far lost two SRC elections this year – at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth and Fort Hare University.
This was despite the ANC sending in some big names including Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to garner support for PYA candidates.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said the PGC supported an already standing ANCYL congress resolution, which stated that only Sasco should contest SRC elections.
“That’s a national congress resolution and we are supporting that because the ANC itself has been expressing concern about PYA’s lack of cohesion in tertiary institutions.
“There have been growing tensions between the ANCYL and Sasco in a number of campuses,” he said.
The Daily Dispatch reported two weeks ago on tensions between Sasco and the ANCYL which led to the two PYA partners fielding their own line-ups at last month’s Walter Sisulu University SRC elections.
This resulted in the ANCYL SRC representative voting against a Sasco SRC candidate.
The Dispatch further reported that when newly elected ANCYL president Collen Maine condemned this situation at a talk at a Mthatha university campus, he was booed.
“For us the issue is a principled one that ANCYL and Sasco must not contest each other,” Mabuyane said.
ANC ban on student elections
The party resolved at its provincial general council (PGC) in Mthatha last weekend to allow only the South African Students Congress (Sasco) to contest student representative council elections (SRCs) at all institutions of higher learning in the province.
The PGC was held in preparation for the ANC’s national general council (NGC) at Gallagher Estates in Gauteng tomorrow.
Sasco, which has been operating in the institutions under the banner of the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) together with the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) and Young Communist League (YCL), has so far lost two SRC elections this year – at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth and Fort Hare University.
This was despite the ANC sending in some big names including Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to garner support for PYA candidates.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said the PGC supported an already standing ANCYL congress resolution, which stated that only Sasco should contest SRC elections.
“That’s a national congress resolution and we are supporting that because the ANC itself has been expressing concern about PYA’s lack of cohesion in tertiary institutions.
“There have been growing tensions between the ANCYL and Sasco in a number of campuses,” he said.
The Daily Dispatch reported two weeks ago on tensions between Sasco and the ANCYL which led to the two PYA partners fielding their own line-ups at last month’s Walter Sisulu University SRC elections.
This resulted in the ANCYL SRC representative voting against a Sasco SRC candidate.
The Dispatch further reported that when newly elected ANCYL president Collen Maine condemned this situation at a talk at a Mthatha university campus, he was booed.
“For us the issue is a principled one that ANCYL and Sasco must not contest each other,” Mabuyane said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos