Youth leaders raise concerns about the ANC.
ANC secretary-general, Ace Magashule, said he is inspired and motivated by students to become a better leader at Wits University on Wednesday, September 18. Magashule was address ANC-affiliated organisations at the university in a talk entitled ‘Becoming a better cadre’.
“We remember the days Wits could not accept or admit so many black students and we are proud that our struggle, the struggle we waged as young people, students, communities, as oppressed masses of South Africa, definitely beared fruits,” Magashule told Wits Vuvuzela.
Despite Magashule’s positive sentiments, youth leaders from organisations such as the South African Students Congress (SASCO), Congress of South African Students (COSAS) and Young Communist League (YCL) expressed their dissatisfaction with the ruling party.
“We are being led by leadership of the ANC that has graduated, that they have nothing to offer but they are still holding on to power, said Sihle Nguse, secretary of the ANC branch 60.
Nguse was referring to the lack of youth representation as “a serious crisis” adding that as the future of the ANC, the youth should challenge the ANC.
“In a youthful country we shouldn’t be having an ANC leadership [where] the entire leadership are pensioners is incorrect,” he said.
Cebolenkosi Khumalo, SASCO branch chairperson said, “But there is a problem when the national leadership, they are not willing to listen and acknowledge that times [have] changed and need to be accommodative of the issues being brought up by young people.”
“You are the future and nobody can stop you,” Magashule told the attendees adding that his talk was to “activate, agitate students as activists”.
Magashule encouraged students to continue pursuing their degrees as “education will take you out of your poverty”.
He said it is important for both young and old to work together as the older generation provide guidance to the young people.
“Leaders must be patient, we must fuse the young and the old, the experienced and inexperienced and yes it is time for young leadership but young leadership must never make the mistake of saying that the old must shift or go,” said Magashule.
FEATURED IMAGE: ANC Secretary-General giving on talk on the difference between a cadre and a comrade. Photo: Lwazi Maseko
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