ANC's Sasco, ANCYL contest each other at WSU SRC elections

ANC aligned student organisations are at it again as they will contest each other at the Walter Sisulu University Student Representative Council elections today.

The two organisations Sasco and ANCYL have been at loggerheads on which should be in control on the Mthatha campus.

It is only in the Mthatha campus where the organizations will contest against each other.

In the last elections, Sasco won the elections, but lost the control of the campus after ANCYL formed a coalition with the opposition organization, Pasma to oust it.

Newly elected ANC provincial chairman Oscar Mabuyane has condemned rivalry between the two organizations saying it was politically and revolutionary wrong.

“It is incorrect. We have been condemning it, but we have done less practical to solve the problem that are there,” he said.

He said rivalry between the two organizations was something that the PEC had to deal with.

“We are caught up in it as the ANC.

“While we are busy trying to help Sasco on the other side we must also help the ANCLY,” he said.

He said the formation of the ANCYL at the institutions of higher learning was done, “to serve a particular purpose. The youth league there was formed to be used as a base to undermine even the ANC structures. We had people who are loose cannons there, doing as they will.we have been trying to work on that,” he said.

Mabuyane said the rift and the rivalry at WSU had degenerated to a point where more was needed to be done politically to solve the problem.

“ANCYL remain ANCYL, but we have a situation where between the two, when the other wins it hates the other with passion to a point where they can realign themselves with other forces which which are not our forces,” he said.

He said that he matter had always been part of the agenda from the education subcommittee reports. “It causes instability at that campus and that affects the status of the university and it should not be allowed,” he said.

Mabuyane said he even personally tried to pull the two organisations together last year, forcing them to celebrate together, “it was not easy, it was difficult but how to sustain that it is something else,” he said.

Five ANC Youth League members appeared in the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court this early this year on charges relating to the assault of South African Students’ Congress (Sasco) members at the Walter Sisulu University’s Mthatha campus.

They faced charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

ANCYL at the University of Fort Hare was bared from contesting SRC elections early this year and was removed from the ballot papers.

This was after the intervention of the ANCYL provincial task team.

The move, however, did not work in favor of the ANC as the ANCYL which had a huge following on campus voted for Pasma which is now in control of the East London campus.

PTT convinor Mzwonke Ndabeni said they were not aware that ANCLY was contesting election at Walter Sisulu University.

“In terms of the resolution taken during the national ANCYL conference last year, it was decided that ANCYL should not contest elections at the institutions of higher learning,” he said.

Ndabeni said, now that they were aware they will intervene.

“We will meet with the OR Tambo RTT and ANCYL branch on campus to understand as to why they are contesting,” he said.