Political Report by ANC Youth League President Julius Malema to the ANCYL's 1st National
General Council, Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand, Aug ust 25 2010:
Youth Action for Economic Freedom in Our Lifetime
1. SALUTATIONS
a . Chai rperson of the Session
b. Afri can Na tional Congress Na ti onal Chai r cde Ba leka Mbethe
c. The ANC delegation to the Na ti onal General Counci l of the ANC Youth
Lea gue d. All iance partners , SASCO, COSAS a nd YCL
e. COSATU, SACP leadership present toda y
f. Internati onal Guests from youth wi ngs of former li berati on movement. g. Internati onal guests from progressi ve youth formation a cross the world.
h. The leadership of the World Federation of Democratic Youth
a nd Internati onal Union of Soci alist Youth. i. Former lea ders of the ANC Youth Lea gue a nd broader Youth Movement.
j. The ANC Women's Lea gue a nd Vetera ns League. k. The MKMVA, Commi ssars and Commanders of Umkhonto WeSizwe Young.
professi onals a nd representatives of busi ness i n South Afri ca .
l . Reli gious lea ders m. Delegates to the 1st National General Council of the ANC Youth Lea gue 2. The Na tional General Counci l of the ANC Youth League is in s ession. It is on sessi on
to dis cuss , review, revise a nd re‐a ffirm the ma ny organisational, politica l and
i deologi cal resol utions and posi tions we took in the ANC Youth League 23rd Na ti onal
Congres s i n 2008.
3. The Na tional General Council of the ANC Youth Lea gue a lso s erves as the bigges t
poli ti cal school of our organi sation, because out of deli bera ti ons here, delegates will
deri ve us eful les sons of our organisation's hi story, cha ra cter a nd strategic vis ion i n a
manner tha t wi ll s us tainably contribute to their poli tical devel opment.
4. The NGC ta kes pla ce during the Women's Month, a month in whi ch wherei n we
commemora te and celebrate the ma ssive contributions women made to the
poli ti cal, social and economi c ema ncipa tion of the bla ck ma jority a nd Afri ca ns in
particula r from colonial a pa rthei d bonda ge.
5. The role of women pl ayed by women i n his tory and i n the present conjuncture
s hould never be underestima ted beca use women were a mongst the fi rs t orga nised
forma tions to confront the apartheid regime, even a t time when men hel d a holl ow
convi cti on tha t the col onialism a nd the apartheid regime could onl y be destroyed
through endless negoti ati ons and deputa ti ons to the col onial Mas ters i n Bri tai n. In
cel ebra ting the role pl ayed by revolutionary women, we s hould als o celebra te the
role of ANCYL young women in the ongoing s truggles against tri ple oppression tha t is
s truggle a gai nst gender and na ti ona l oppress ion a s wel l as cla ss exploi ta tion.
6. We s hould do so based on cl ea r progra m to enha nce thei r pa rti ci pation in our
revol ution becaus e as the late FRELIMO President ,Samora Ma chel correctl y a rgued
that li beration of women is a fundamental necessi ty of our revoluti on, a guarantee
of i ts conti nui ty and a precondition for vi ctory'. The role young woman pla y in the
poli ti cs of ANCYL s hould als o be commended wi th intentions a nd cl ear programme
to upgrade thei r i nvolvement.
7. We s ta nd before you proud of the many achi evements we have thus far made a s a
mili tant, youth poli tical orga nisa tion. When we a ccepted nomina tion for l eadership
i n the 23rd Na ti onal Congress of the ANC Youth League i n April 2010, the undertone
poli ti cs that defi ned the contest whi ch ha ppened i n Manga ung was tha t of
generational cha nge.
8. The l eadershi p contes t was about, but not exclus ively, genera tional handover from
the generation of the South Afri ca n Youth Congress (SAYCO) of the la te 1 980s a nd
ANC Youth Lea gue of the ea rl y 1990s .They handed over l eadershi p of the ANC Youth
Lea gue to ourselves, a generati on whi ch cut i ts tooth in the poli tics of s tudents'
movement a fter the unbanning of political pa rties a nd rel ease of politica l pri soners
i n the 90s.
9. The 23rd Na ti onal Congress 1s t l eg ha ppened a midst a ll the pol iti cs, a nd the 2nd leg
provi ded a s pa ce for a ll of us to di scuss politics wi thin a s ta ble envi ronment, where
l eadershi p contes t was not the overri ding fa ctor. In the 2nd leg 23rd Na tional
Congres s, delegates were provided wi th an opportunity to deliberate a nd discuss i n
grea t deta il the future of South Afri ca and s et thems elves a tas k to define a nd shape
the ki nd of South Africa we want to l ive i n. The resol utions and decla ra tion we a ll
a dopted a t the end of Congres s conti nue to ins pire the a cti ons and programmes we
a re enga ged i n as a revolutionary young wi ng of the ANC.
10. In closing the 2nd leg of the 23rd Na ti onal Congress in Ma ngaung, we s aid pol iti cal
educa ti on will be the mos t reli able remedy to many organisational a nd poli tical
challenges we encountered in our congress. We wil l la ter s peak in great deta il how
poli ti cal education i s vi tal a nd part of the ANC Youth Lea gue's programmes to
s ta bilise the organisation movi ng forward. We a re in a fa ctory of politics a nd every
day we a re being sha rpened a nd polished to become the bes t of best revoluti ona ries
commi tted to the fulfilment of the Na tional Democra tic Revol ution.
11. In our leadership of the ANC Youth Lea gue, we came to a ppreciate tha t this
orga nisa tion is not a Junior League of the ANC, but a revol utionary young wi ng of the
ANC, whose actions a nd a cti vi ties a re meant to redefine the kind of s ociety we are
l iving i n. The ANC Youth Lea gue was formed nearly 66 years on the 10th of
September 1944 as a n organisati on of di sciplined, i nspi red and dedica ted younger
a cti vi sts of the Afri can National Congress.
12. We now a re ga thered here in Joha nnes burg, whi ch has been one of the theatres of
many of South Afri ca's revol utiona ry a cti ons , including the la unch of the ANC Youth
Lea gue and adoption of the Freedom Cha rter, to di scuss how best we
rea lise ECONOMIC FREEDOM IN OUR LIFETIME. This Na tional General Council is
gathered under the theme "YOUTH ACTION FOR ECONOMIC FREEDOM IN OUR
LIFETIME", and the outcomes of thi s Council shoul d reflect tha t indeed we a re
determined to realise economi c freedom in our l ifeti me.
WHERE DO WE COME FROM?
13. There is every reason to celebra te and commemora te the ANC Youth League,
because the his tory of South Afri ca 's poli tical, s ocial and economi c change cannot be
told wi thout menti oni ng the vi tal role of the ANC YOUTH LEAGUE. For the benefi t of
a ll of us who a re here toda y, ma ybe we s hould start from the begi nni ng and s peak i n
grea t deta il a bout the correct his tory of the ANC YL. It is i mporta nt tha t we do so,
because many a mongs t us believe tha t the ANC YL was onl y formed after the
unbanning of politica l pa rti es a nd release of poli tical prisoners i n 1990.
14. The AN C's i dea of formi ng the ANCYL began i n the early 1 940s, as a res ult of young
people's i mpatience with the manner in whi ch the ANC a nd the entire Na ti ona l
Liberation Movement responded to a pa rtheid repres sion. Young people s aid then
that they a re tired with peaceful resis tance a nd s truggl es, which recogni sed and
res pected the oppressor a nd the colonial ma sters.
15. The Youth in the ANC s aid it coul d never be correct tha t the mos t revol utionary
a cti vi ty of the ANC was s ending of peti ti ons and delegations to the Queen i n Bri ta in,
a sking for some ri ghts wi thin the semi‐colonial Union of South Afri ca. Mxol isi
Ma jombozi ca me wi th the idea of radica lising the ANC, through forma ti on of the
ANC YOUTH LEAGUE, whi ch will gi ve new energy a nd fighting s pirit to the Na tional
Liberation Movement.
16. In 1942, the ANC Conference noted the growing mili tancy a mongs t the Youth and
res ol ved tha t the Congress Youth Lea gue s hould be formed to mobilise young peopl e
behind the ba nner of the ANC, somewha t not consi dering that the young genera ti on,
i nspi red by the struggles of the workers in South Afri ca a t the time, wi ll not onl y
mobilise behind the visi on of the ANC, but wi ll influence a ra di ca l change of its
character a nd outlook a s a Li bera ti on Movement. In 1943, the ANC took a nother
res oluti on to form the ANC Youth League and concretely mandated the National
Executive Commi ttee of the ANC to ta ke concrete a cti on on the formation of the
ANC YOUTH LEAGUE.
17. A provis ional commi ttee of the ANCYL was formed in ea rl y 1944 wi th Willia m Nkomo
a s i ts Chai rpers on, Mxol isi Majombozi a s Secreta ry, and Wa fter Sisulu a nd Congress
Mbatha were Co‐Convenors. We a re a ware tha t former Presi dent of the ANC J.T
Gumede ful ly s upported the forma ti on of the ANC YOUTH LEAGUE, arguing in the
1943 Conference of the ANC tha t the formation of the ANC Youth Lea gue wi ll make
the AN C to l ive forever. We wi ll al ways hold Presi dent J.T Gumede in high rega rd for
his ground brea king and ins piring leadership.
18. In September 10, 1944, the ANC YOUTH LEAGUE wa s offi ciall y l aunched a s a n
orga nisa tion i n Bantu Socia l Centre, Johannesburg and elected Anton Lembede as i ts
fi rs t President and Oli ver Tambo as i ts fi rs t Secretary. Wa lter Si sul u was el ected as
the fi rs t Treasurer of the ANC YOUTH LEAGUE, Robert Sobukwe, Congress Mba tha ,
A.P. Mda , Robert Resha, Duma Nokwe and Nel son Ma ndela were pa rt of those
elected to the first Na tional Executi ve Commi ttee. We should cla ri fy here that
Nel son Ma ndela or Wal ter Sisulu were not the fi rs t Na tional Secreta ri es of the ANC
Youth League.
19. Nel son Ma ndela sa ys this in his a utobiography that Ol iver Tambo was
the fi rs t Secreta ry a nd the biographies of both Oli ver Ta mbo a nd Wa lter Sisul u
confi rms this fa ct. The ANC wa s not a lwa ys a fi ghting revol utionary movement until
the i dea and pra cti ce to form the ANC YL i n the ea rl y to and mi d 1940s . The
forma tion of the ANC YL undoubtedl y gave new i mpetus, energised and radicalised
the ANC into a fi ghti ng force tor the libera tion of the oppressed ma jority.
20. The genera tion that founded the ANC Youth Lea gue (Walter Sis ulu, Oli ver Ta mbo,
Nel son Ma ndela , Will iam Nkomo, Mxolisi Ma jombozi , Anton Lembede, Congres s
Mbatha ) decl ared "FREEDOM IN OUR LIFETIME" in 1944 and 50 yea rs la ter i n 1994,
they were a generation tha t ushered in pol iti cal freedom to the Afri can majori ty,
whi ch were under col oni al a nd apa rtheid repres sion for more ma ny yea rs. Nel son
Ma ndela, Ol iver Tambo a nd Wal ter Si sulu who a re the founder of the ANC Youth
Lea gue were a t the forefront of ushering pol iti cal freedom i n South Afri ca .
21. We have no doubt that Anton Lembede, A.P. Mda , Mxol isi Ma jombozi , Godfrey
Pi tjie, Robert Res ha, Patri ck Moal oa and ma ny other who founded the ANC Youth
Lea gue woul d ha ve been a t the forefront of political libera ti on had they li ved long.
We always s ay tha t i t only took the ANC Youth Lea gue 5 years to ra dicalise and
energise the Afri ca n Na ti onal Congres s into a mass movement and fi ghting force for
people's li beration. Withi n the fi rst five yea rs of i ts formation, the ANC Youth League
was a ble to decisively infl uence the ANC to a dopt a more ra di cal , forthri ght and
confrontational pol iti cal programme which funda mentall y transformed the ANC i nto
a mas s mobi lisation movement a nd campa igner a gains t ra ci al s egregation and
economi c s ubjuga tion.
22. The tra nsforma ti ve 1949 ANC Conference had to elect a rel ati vely inexperienced and
young leadership of Pres ident James Moroka (who ha d jus t joined the ANC) and
Secreta ry General Wa lter Si sulu (aged 37) becaus e the older and more
orga nisa tionall y experienced genera tion was unable to a djus t and a dapt to the new
s tra tegies and ta cti cs proposed by the Youth Lea gue to fight ra ci al oppres sion and
s egregation.
23. The 1949 Progra mme of Acti on l ed to the Defia nce Ca mpaign, whi ch goes into
history as one of the mos t successful ca mpa igns to be l ed by the Afri ca n Na ti ona l
Congres s. Recalling the frui ts of the Defia nce Campa ign, E.S. Reddy sa ys , "the
Ca mpaign generated a mas s upsurge for freedom. The members hip of the A.N.C.
i ncreased from 7,000 to 100,000 duri ng the ca mpaign and i t became a trul y national
orga ni zation of the people. The Campa ign als o led to the forma ti on of the Col oured
People's Congress a nd the Congress of (white) Democra ts , and then a "Congres s
All iance" whi ch pl ayed a crucia l role i n promoti ng mul ti ‐ra ci al resis tance to apartheid
i n subsequent yea rs ".
24. Thi s National General Counci l's dis cussion document on orga nisa tional renewal
obs erves that, "If the rea ding of hi story was mecha nica l, it could be si mpl istically
deducted that the transforma ti on of the ANC i nto a truly na tional orga nisa tion of the
people, a nd the forma ti on of the a lliance a re di rect cons equences of the forma tion
of the ANC Youth Lea gue in 1944. Yet his tory evol ves i n fa r much compl ex a nd
s ys tema ti c rea liti es tha n tha t, becaus e the combinati on of preva iling ma teria l
conditions of tha t peri od a nd the subjecti ve determi nati on of the foundi ng
l eadershi p of the ANC Youth Lea gue di alecti call y call ed for deci sive acti on and
defined history.
25. Certa inly, the pa ssage of ti me spelled a different tra jectory wi th regards to how the
Youth Lea gue rel ates to the Afri ca n Na ti onal Congress , yet notabl y the ANC Youth
Lea gue's foundi ng genera ti on's commitment to "freedom in our l ifeti me" took
practical sha pe a nd was l ed by that particula r generation. It is i mporta nt to
understand tha t the founding genera tion of the ANC YL wa s not only fighting for
poli ti cal freedom, but were a lso fighting a ga inst ideological, s ocial , economi c
domina tion a nd colonisation of the majori ty by a mi nori ty.
26. It i s thi s rea lisation that ma de the founding genera tion of the ANC YL to ferventl y
mobilise for the adoption of the Freedom Cha rter, firs t by the People's Congress in
1955 a nd by the AN C in 1956. Nelson Ma ndela was Volunteer i n Chief i n the
Defiance ca mpaign a nd the mobilisations towards the adoption of the Freedom
Charter wa s a nchored a nd gi ven s hape by then ANC Secretary General Wa lter Si sulu.
27. The Freedom Cha rter is currently the nerve and li febl ood of the Afri ca n Na tional
Congres s a nd enti re Na tional Li bera tion Movement. When a dopting the Freedom
Charter in 1956, the ANC s aid that i ts not a patchwork of reforms , but a
revol utionary programme, whi ch is also a bea con of hope for the people of South
Africa . The Freedom Cha rter a ffirms tha t South Africa belongs who li ve i n it‐black
a nd white, a nd this a ffi rma ti on i n repea ted in South Africa 's democra tic Cons ti tuti on
a dopted in 1996.
28. Under the cla use "the people s hall s ha re in the country's wea lth", the Freedom
Charter sa ys :
"The national wealth of our country, the heritage of South Africans, shall be
restored
to
the
people; "The Mineral Wealth Beneath the Soil, the banks and Monopoly Industry shall
be transferred to the ownership of the people"
"All other trade and industry shall be controlled for the benefit of the people" "All people shall have equal rights to trade where they choose, to
manufacture and to enter all trades, crafts and professions".
29. As much as the Nel son Mandela generati on led the s truggle for a ttai nment of
poli ti cal freedom for ma jority of our people, we have made i t our res ponsibility and
dedica ted focus tha t economic freedom is rea lised i n South Afri ca. Economi c
Freedom s hould come through the rea lisation and actual isa tion of the Freedom
Charter clause that reads that the Mi nera l Wea lth benea th the s oil , monopoly
i ndustry and ba nks s hould be tra ns ferred to the owners hip of the people as a whole'.
30. The Nel son Mandel a generati on of the ANC Youth Lea gue changed hi story a nd di d
everything in their power to ensure that the cause for struggl e is never betra yed, nor
compromised for a nything below the s ky. The foundi ng generation dedicated their
l ives to the ca use for freedom a nd were prepared to sa crifice thei r l ives s o tha t we
can a ll l ive i n freedom. Thei r ba ttle cry wa s FREEDOM IN OURLIFETIME, underpi nned
by the dedi cation to a ttai n Freedom or Die. Our ba ttle cry as this generation of youth
i s attainment of ECONOMIC FREEDOM IN OUR LIFETIME. Li ke Nelson Ma ndela , we
will do everythi ng in power to reali se economic freedom i n our lifetime.
THE BALANCE OF FORCES, NDR AND STRATEGY AND TACTICS
31. Our pol iti cal progra mme for economi c freedom i n our lifeti me requi res a thorough
rea ding and understandi ng of the bal ance of forces in order to properl y defi ne the
s tra tegy and tacti cs we should a dopt towa rds a tta inment of the Na tional Democratic
Revolution (NDR). In mos t cas es, discussions a bout the NDR are a bs tract, general
discussions which do not end up on development of a concrete poli ti cal progra mme,
a nd we need to move away from tha t because we ha ve immediate tas ks a t ha nd.
32. We carry a responsibili ty to transfer weal th from the mi nori ty to the ma jority and
that i s not a n eas y tas k. Our Stra tegi c goal i s total atta inment of al l Freedom Charter
objecti ves a nd our vehi cl e towards the a tta inment of the Freedom Cha rter
objecti ves i s the NOR, which s hould resolve the na tional, gender a nd cl ass
contradicti ons , but a lso crea te a non‐racial , non‐sexi st, united, democra ti c and
pros perous South Afri ca .
33. So towa rds the Freedom Cha rter, we need to unders ta nd who our a llies a re and who
our strategic opponents a re. Such an unders ta nding i s importa nt beca use sometimes
we tend to think tha t the s tra tegi c opponents of our revoluti on a re merely poli tical
opponents we meet in our periodi c ANC electoral poli tics.
34. And yet the opponents a re much broader than that. They incl ude soci al forces s uch
a s big business that do not directly enter da y to da y electoral politics , but wield
enormous pol iti cal power by vi rtue of their owners hip of key economic res ources
s uch a s the bank and the mines a nd other monopoly indus tries . But we need to
a nal yse i f domestically and internall y, conditions are conducive for s ome of the
radical changes to happen without ma jor hindra nces and di sastrous cons equences.
The Stra tegy & Ta cti cs we adopted i n Pol okwane sai d, "overa ll, si nce 1994, the
balance of forces have s hi fted i n fa vour of the forces of change. It provi des the bas is
for speedier implementation of progra mmes to bui ld a trul y democra ti c and
pros perous soci ety. The l egal a nd pol icy s ca ffol ding for this i s essentially in place.
Most of society wants thi s to ha ppen". Did this a nal ysis cha nge or i t still obta ins i n
the present conjuncture?
35. The ANC should be more hones t about a nal ysis of ba lance of forces because we ha ve
to take decis ions on how we move forwa rd now. We understand tha t i n 1994,
certa in decisions could not be taken because both domestica lly a nd globall y, the
balance of forces fa voured imperialis ts a nd therefore hos til e to progres sive cha nge.
The s ituation has cha nged now with Chi na being the a lternative economy in the
worl d a nd opera ti ng rel ati vely di fferent to what the imperialis ts di d over the years .
36. The rai se of china has set better gl obal economi c condi tions for devel opi ng countries
to determine thei r political and economic di recti on. China unlike the United States
a nd European Union forces does not interfere wi th local politics for them to invest.
They res pect the terms a nd conditions you set for them and only concentra te on
doi ng bus iness.
37. Thi s i s a n interesti ng feature of the Chi nese forei gn poli cy. The imperialist forces on
the other hand, they manipul ate loca l pol iti cs and even remove governments s o that
they ca n s teal resources wi thout s tri cter regulation from s ta ble politi cal authori ties .
38. We need a deeper ana lys is of a ll thes e fa ctors , beca use much as we need to change
s ociety for the better, we shoul d a lso ta ke i nto account the extent to which our
i mmedia te proposals for change wi ll not ha ve dis astrous consequences . Our
concl usive vi ew now is tha t conditions domes ti cally a nd interna tionally are
fa voura ble to ra di cal change of economic poli cy a nd na ti onalisation of Mi nes . We
have not yet encountered a credi ble argument tha t s ugges ts tha t conditions a re not
fa voura ble. As revol utiona ries , we a lso ca rry a responsibility to cha nge balance of
forces to fa vour our political programmes .
39. Our strategic enemy remai ns whi te monopol y ca pi tal, whos e interests a re express ed
through the exclusion of the bla ck majori ty and Afri ca ns in pa rti cula r from economi c
ema nci pation. Whi te monopoly ca pi tal 's i nteres ts are expres sed through bruta l‐
exploita tion of workers and natural res ources i n South Afri ca 's Mi nes , fa rms and
monopol y i ndustri es.
40. Poli tically, the interests of white monopol y capital a re express ed by mi nori ty white
poli ti cal pa rti es such as the Democra ti c Alli ance, and s ociall y, thei r interests a re
s afegua rded by the rea cti ona ry media and jus ti fied by white bourgeoisie oriented
i ntellectuals concentra ted i n white business sponsored thi nk tanks and his tori call y
whi te uni versities. This a nal ysis does not bl ind us to internal enemies of the
revol ution; those that s eek to di vert our a ttention from the s tra tegi c goals by ra ising
petty unrela ted squabbles and lea d fa ctional wa rs i n the movement.
41. Despite all these di vers ions a nd exis tence of a s tra tegi c enemy, the African National
Congres s conti nues to be the true voice of the peopl e. The ANC ca rri es the poli tical,
electoral a nd legitima te power through Parlia ment, government a nd other
i nstitutions to change the li ves of our people for the better. The ANC ca rries power
through Pa rliament, government and other i ns titutions to transfer the weal th of the
l and from the few to the ma jority. The question that a ri ses is whether the current
ANC l eadershi p i s wi lling to deci sively us e the power i t has to economica lly
ema nci pate a nd empower the black majori ty and Afri cans in pa rti cular.
42. Whether the wi ll a nd coura ge to ra di ca lly transform s ociety, i n pa rti cular the
economy exis ts in the current ANC leadership is an i ssue tha t this Na tional Genera l
Council should di scuss. As ANC Youth Lea gue, we s hould be worri ed of the re‐
emergence of a tendency tha t s eeks to please the Queen in Britain and general ly
i mperialists i n the na me of sa feguarding investors.
43. The reason the ANC Youth Lea gue was formed in 1944 was exa ctl y i n reacti on to the
very same tendency of reporti ng to the Queen i n Bri ta in a nd pleasi ng col onialists
a s i f they have the interests a nd a spi rations of the people of South Afri ca a t heart.
The 1944 genera ti on of the ANC Youth League ha d a programme on the l eadership
of the ANC tha t wa nted to please the Queen a nd our genera ti on wi ll out of the
poli ti cal progra mme we ha ve, determine wha t we do with the re‐emergence of such
tendencies.
44. Thi s genera ti on of the Youth Lea gue is call ing for Economi c Freedom i n Our Li fetime.
Simpl y put, economi c freedom i n our li fetime mea ns that all the economi c cla uses of
the Freedom Cha rter should be rea lised to the ful lest. It mea ns that: 1) The people
s hould share in the country's wealth, 2) The na ti onal wealth of our country, the
heritage of South Afri ca ns , s hould be restored to the people; 3) The minera l weal th
beneath the soil, the Ba nks a nd monopoly indus try shoul d be tra ns ferred to the
ownership of the people a s a whole; 4) All other industry a nd tra de shoul d be
controlled to assis t the well being of the people; and 5) All people shoul d ha ve equal
ri ghts to trade where they choose, to ma nufacture a nd to enter a ll tra des , cra fts and
professi ons. These cla uses a re i n no wa y a contradicti on to ea ch other as some
s ought to s ugges t el sewhere.
45. Thi s i s what we mea n by economi c freedom in our l ifetime, a nd when people ask you
wha t i s mea nt by economic freedom in our lifetime, you mus t si mpl y res pond by
s aying tha t al l the economi c cl auses of the Freedom Charter s hould be realised to
the fulles t or s imply sa y we mea n tha t the PEOPLE SHOULD SHARE IN THE
COUNTRY'S WEALTH. Nationalisation of Mines is but one of the components of
rea lising economic freedom in our li fetime, and we s hould never compromise on
that pri nciple.
46. Thi s na ti onal executi ve commi ttee collective has si nce our na tional pol iti cal school i n
Jul y 2009, been doi ng what the 23rd na tiona l congress s aid we should do, i .e.
mobilise s ociety a nd convince the African Na ti ona l Congress to nationalise South
Africa's Mi nes. Every platform we took since then and every meeti ng we attended,
we ma de i t a point tha t South Africa 's Mines should be transferred to the ownership
a nd control of the peopl e as a whol e.
47. We rightful ly became very i mpati ent with those who opposed na tionalisation of
Mi nes . We a re i mpatient beca use i t ca n never be correct tha t 16 years into
democracy, more than 80 percent of the popul ation does not control more tha n 5%
of South Afri ca 's wea lth. Afri cans remai n in the margins of our economy, despi te the
fact that this economy i s built by their la bour.
48. Since the deba te begun, there a re certa in poi nts tha t we ca n safely sa y a re not
commonl y agreed upon and s hould be made known to a ll our structures. In the ANC
a nd enti re a lliance, we now a gree that:
a . The Freedom Charter rema ins the s tra tegi c goal of the National Liberation
Movement and constitutes a key element of the NDR objecti ves .
b. Tha t the Freedom Charter says, "the mineral wea lth beneath the s oil , ba nks
a nd monopol y indus tries s hould be tra nsferred to the owners hip of the
people as a whole".
c. Tha t in the ANC, thi s has been unders tood to mean a mongs t other things
that Mines , ba nk a nd monopol y i ndustri es s hould be na tionalised.
49. Wal ter Sis ulu s aid of the Freedom Cha rter tha t," it [The Freedom Cha rter] is the
basi c la w of our libera tory movement, a decla ration of pri ncipl es uni ting a ll the
people i n our l and, except for the few rea ctionaries, who see in the Cha rter the end
of their l ong es ta blished domina tion a nd expl oi tation. The Cha rter is the pi cture of
future South Afri ca , in which oppression and exploi tation shall be no more".
50. President Chief Albert Luthuli , who was President of the ANC when the Freedom
Charter was a dopted for thi s to s ay; "In modern soci ety, even amongs t the so‐ca lled
capitalisti c countries , na ti onalisation of certai n indus tries a nd commerci al
undertaki ngs ha s become an a ccepted a nd es tablished fa ct. Onl y the unini tia ted and
i gnorant would s ugges t tha t the Union of South Afri ca is goi ng to Mos cow because
i ts Rail ways, Broa dcas ting a nd Pos t Office s ervi ces are nationalised".
51. 1956, Nel son Mandela: "It is true tha t in demanding the na tionalisation of the ba nks ,
the gold mines a nd the land the Cha rter strikes a fa tal bl ow a t the financial a nd gold‐
mining monopolies and farmi ng i nteres ts tha t have for centuries pl undered the
country and condemned its people to s ervitude. But such a s tep is abs olutely
i mperati ve a nd neces sary becaus e the realisa tion of the Cha rter is i nconceivable, i n
fact impos sible, unless and until these monopolies a re fi rs t smashed up and the
national weal th of the country turned over to the people".
52. In his fi rst public a ddress a fter release from prison, former President Nel son
Ma ndela sa id, "nationalisation of the mi nes , ba nks a nd monopoly indus try is the
poli cy of the ANC and a cha nge or modifi ca tion of our vi ew i n this rega rd is
i nconceivable.
53. Our emphasis throughout is tha t we need to nationalise South Afri ca's Mines not
onl y because the Freedom Charter sa ys we should na tionalise Mines , but because
there a re s o ma ny benefits tha t s ociety as a whol e can deri ve out of na tionalised
Mi nes . In the s ubmission we made to the Mining Portfoli o Committee on the
esta blishment of Sta te Owned Mining Compa ny, we sa id the fol lowing: Mi nes shoul d be nationalised in order to a chieve the fol lowing purposes :
a . Increas e the budget of the State for s ocial devel opment purposes, e.g.
Heal th, Education, Rural development, ti ght agains t cri me and job crea ti on.
b. La y a very ti rm basis for the country's mi nerals to be loca lly beneficiated and
i ndustria lised.
c. Change the South African economy from over‐dependence a nd rel iance of
exporti ng of natural res ources a nd i mporting of fi nished goods a nd s ervi ces.
d. Create new economi c centres of devel opment outs ide of Joha nnes burg,
Durban a nd Ca pe Town.
e. Coul d i mprove the working conditions and sal aries of Mine workers.
54. The government revenue that is generated from ta xes wi ll not be able to bui ld better
l ives for all South Afri cans . Government ca nnot sol ely rel y on ta xes to deli ver better
s ervices to ma jority of our people. South Afri can will not be a ble to deal wi th the
housing backl og, free educa ti on a ccess, better heal thca re, sa fety and securi ty,
employment of pa rti cularly youth if we are not i n control of the key a nd strategic
s ectors of the South Afri ca n economy. The weal th of South Africa s hould benefi t all
who li ve in i t.
55. It is a n open secret that ordi nary workers i n Mi nes a re the leas t benefici aries of
mining i n South Afri ca ei ther as recipients of sa laries a nd s ta keholders i n mi ning.
Mi neworkers i n South Africa a re underpaid and work under diffi cult conditions and
unsa fe Mines . Their workplaces a nd socio‐economi c existence expose these workers
to fa tal diseases and a ccidents. Na ti onalised Mi nes s hould be beacons of sa fer
working envi ronments and better working condi tions, a s they wi ll not be i n narrow
purs uit of profits at the expense of community a nd human devel opment.
56. With State ownershi p and control of Mi neral Res ources , South Afri ca will be able to
a ttra ct indus trial i nvestors, who wi ll contri bute to the growth of the economy,
tra nsfer s kills, educati on a nd expertise to loca ls a nd give them s ustainable jobs . It
can never be correct tha t an abs olute ma jority of the Mi neral s we produce is
exported to other countries, wi th very li ttle efforts to bui ld i nternal ca pa ci ty to
benefi cia te these minera ls.
57. Nationalisation of Mi nes wi ll lea d to grea ter local beneficiati on, indus trialisation,
growth of the economy a nd jobs for ma jority of our peopl e. The indus trial s tra tegy
a dopted by government will never succeed unless we ha ve Sta te control and
ownership of the na tural res ources . We need metal s, i ron ore, gol d, pl atinum, COAL,
chrome, manganese and many other minerals to i ndustri alise. South Africa's s kills
devel opment efforts should be dyna mi call y (not exclusively) li nked to the
i ndustria lisa tion of minera ls wealth.
58. Al though rela ted to the a bove component, i t i s importa nt to hi ghlight the fact that
the South Afri can economy as i t currentl y s ta nds bears s trong fea tures of all col onial
economi es. Primaril y, all colonial economi es were posi tioned as s ources and
res erves of primary goods and s ervices for the colonisers' economi es. Nationalised
Mi nes ought to l ead to a Spatial Development Framework tha t should necessari ly
decentra lise development. Area s s uch a s Sekhukhune, Rus tenburg, Burgersfort,
Emalahl eni ha ve fa r grea ter economi c potential becaus e of the mineral res ources
underneath the s oil . These s hould be deliberately devel oped, beneficiated and
i ndustria lised to enha nce and harness economi c and human devel opment i n these
terri tories".
59. Addi tional to these benefits a nd reasons menti oned a bove, Na ti onalised Mi nes will
a lso mea n the foll owing:
a . Increas ed fi scus a nd therefore more resources for education, hous ing,
heal thca re, i nfrastructure development, sa fety and security and s ustainable
l ivelihoods for our people, i ncluding pa yi ng our public s ervants , nurses, poli ce
a nd tea chers better sa laries .
b. More jobs for our peopl e becaus e Sta te owned a nd controll ed Mi nes wil l
i ncrease l ocal beneficiati on a nd i ndustri alisation of Mineral resources. This
will in turn reduce the high levels of poverty, which i s cons equent of
joblessness.
c. More equita ble spa tial development becaus e Sta te owned and controlled
Mi nes wi ll i nves t i n a reas where Mining is ha ppening.
d. Better s alaries and worki ng conditions in Mi nes because Sta te owned Mi nes
will i ncreas e the Mining wa ge and improve compli ance to occupational
heal th and sa fety s ta nda rds.
e. Grea ter l evels of economic a nd poli ti cal s overei gnty a s the Sta te wil l be i n
control a nd ownership of s tra tegi c s ectors of the economy, whi ch produces
minerals res ources needed across the worl d.
60. Thi s generation of youth will never stand on the s ideways to bemoan a nd complain
a bout the compromises a nd ta cti ca l retrea ts that were ta ken by genera ti on before
us. We unders tand tha t in order to atta in poli tical freedom, certa in retreats and
compromises ha d to be ma de in order to usher in a democra ti c government. Our
tas k now is to ca rry on the spear to ti ght wi thout any compromise for economi c
freedom in our lifeti me. The rea lity of al l these i ssues is tha t whilst i mportant,
poli ti cal freedom wi thout economic power i s nothi ng. We ca n ha ve the ri ght to vote
a fter every fi ve yea rs , but i f we do not ha ve access to economi c power, thos e votes
a re usel ess. We ha ve to empha sise these central points on Na ti onalisati on of Mines
a nd s peak in great deta il because there are those who continue to believe that the
ANC Youth Lea gue does not ha ve reas ons for Mi nes in South Afri ca to be
nationalised.
61. We s hould be alert of the emergence of a n ideological current from withi n the ANC
that undermines and disrega rds the s ubs tantial work we do on nationalisation of
Mi nes . Some in the AN C utilise a dministra ti ve process to undermi ne the process of
openl y dis cussing nationalisation of Mi nes. They shoul d be ca utioned tha t wha tever
they do, the discussion on Mi nes ' na ti onalisation wi ll never be s uppressed by anyone
s uccessfully. We are the youth and hi story burdens upon us the res ponsibility to
radicall y reshape society, beca use conditions for a revol ution a re conducive.
REVOLUTIONS ARE ACTIVITES OF YOUNG PEOPLE
62. Thi s genera tion of youth should understand tha t the tas k of tra ns ferring weal th from
the mi nori ty to the majori ty i s its ta sk. We s hould a ppreci ate a nd get us ed to the
i dea that al l ma jor poli ti cal, s ocial and economi c cha nges (revoluti ons) a re a cti vi ti es
of the youth. If for once we believe that the older generati on wil l just accede to our
demands a nd ma ke ra di cal changes , then we a re mis led. In our cas e, we understand
that as working cla ss youth, we ca rry the responsibili ty to reshape his tory and
s ociety for the better.
63. We a re working cl ass youth beca use we do not own a nythi ng and most of us a re
prevented from abs olute poverty by monthly sa laries , whi ch if they can be ta ken
a wa y, we remain homeless, and wi thout food. Our own orga nisation, the Afri ca n
National Congress is a li ving proof that the i deas of the youth and their a ctions a re
the ones that best shape his tory tha n any other component of s ociety.
64. A questi on s hould a ris e from many of us here as why the i dea of founding the
African Na ti onal Congres s is attributed to Pi xley Ka Is aka Seme, yet he onl y beca me
i ts 5th President, 18 years a fter the formation of the ANC. in the a rti cl e published in
the ANC Toda y in October 2009, Comra de Jeff Radebe argued tha t "there is no doubt
that Pi xel y ka Isaka Seme was the ori ginator of the i dea to found the ANC a nd he
ti relessly worked to ensure its frui ti on, a rgua bly more than anyone else".
65. Pi xl ey ka lsaka Seme wa s onl y 31 yea rs old when the Afri ca n Na ti onal Congress was
formed in 1912, yet a t the age, he was able to gather a nd gi ve i deological direction
to the mi ddl e cla ss i ntellectuals, renowned Afri cans , a nd roya lties from as fa r as
Swa zi land, Lesotho, Bots wana , Za mbia a nd those of tri bes a nd ki ngdoms from wi thi n
South Afri ca , a nd included Kings , Pri nces , Pa ra mount Chiefs and Chi efs who a ttended
the la unch of the ANC in Ja nua ry 8, 1912. What thi s mea ns i s that the ANC wa s
founded by i deas of a young pers on and onl y got to a dopt conserva ti ve s tra tegies of
s truggles because the ol der genera ti ons was used to the older wa y of doing thi ngs .
66. Again i n 1949, the ANC was ra di ca lised and gi ven new energy by young peopl e and
a cti vi sts of the ANC Youth Lea gue. Nelson Mandela, Wa lter Si sul u, Oli ver Ta mbo,
Mxolis i Ma jombozi, Anton Lembede, A.P. Mda and thos e who founded the ANC
Youth Lea gue were in their l ate 20s and early 30s when the concei ved of the idea ot
changing the ANC into a fighting force for the l ibera tion of our peopl e. Wal ter Si sulu
became the engine of the ANC in i ts most i mportant pa rt of hi story only when he
was 37 yea rs old.
67. Oli ver Ta mbo wa s elected into the ANC Na tional Executi ve Committee at the a ge of
31 in 1948, beca me i ts Secreta ry General a t the age of 38 i n 1955 a nd Deputy
President a t the a ge of 41 in 1958. Fi rs t President of the ANC Youth Lea gue was
directly elected to the ANC Na tional Executi ve Commi ttee at the age of 31 in 1945.
Nel son Mandela was elected to the Na ti onal Executive Committee of the ANC a t the
a ge of 32 i n 1950 and became Presi dent of the ANC Youth League a nd tha t of the
ANC i n the entire Transvaal a t the age of 34 in 1952. He wa s by then the Volunteer in
Chief of the Defia nce Ca mpaign.
68. Taking thi s noti on to a different l evel, perha ps we shoul d s pea k about the mos t
cel ebra ted revoluti ona ries in the history of politics . Vl adi mir Lenin, who led the
worl d renowned Grea t October Socialis t revolution in 1917, was aged 33 when he
ca me with the revoluti ona ry s tra tegy a nd i deol ogy of Bolshevis m and mobilised the
Rus sian peasants a nd workers to overthrow the regi me of the da y.
69. At the age of 47, Lenin ha d i nspi red ma ny other revoluti ons a cross the world a nd
was recognised a s one of the mos t outstanding revol utionaries. Fi del Cas tro was
a ged 33 when he became the Prime Minister of Cuba , a fter successfully lea ding the
Cuba n Revolution a gains t Ba tista. His a ccompli ces , in pa rti cular Che Gueva ra were i n
the l ate 20s a nd early 30s . Che Gueva ra , who i s today the worl d's most cel ebrated
revol utionary, pa rti cula rly a mongs t the youth, died at the age of 39, yet he ha d
fought so ma ny ba ttles a cross the world and had defea ted colonial and repress ive
regi mes .
70. We a re mentioning all these real ities because this genera tion of young a cti vis ts
s hould appreciate that the revol utionary progra mme we a re pursui ng, "economi c
freedom in our li fetime" wi ll not be left to s ome older people who s eem to ha ve
a ccepted that the mas sive weal th i nequalities ca nnot be changed. The reason they
go to the Queen to account and report is beca use they believe tha t s uch is the onl y
wa y to do thi ngs even wi th the pol iti cal power that was gi ven to them by the people
of South Africa.
71. When we speak about genera tional mix and development of second l ayer l eadershi p
i n the ANC, we a re not jus t referring to repla cement of l eaders i n elective
conferences, we a re cal ling for younger, more energetic and ra di cal leaders of the
l iberation movement to take s erious respons ibilities i n regional, provinci al and
ultima tel y national s tructures of the ANC.
72. The 2012 Conference of the ANC wi ll of course cel ebrate 100 yea rs of the ANC's
exi stence, but i t s hould be a pla tform to re‐energise and re‐ra di calise the Afri ca n
National Congress like the 1949 Conference of the ANC i n Mangaung di d. The
Conference of the AN C in 2012 should not onl y res ol ve on Na ti onalisation of Mi nes ,
but shoul d ta ke more deci sive resolutions on the es tablishment of a Sta te ba nk,
more ra di cal l and reform programme, and a concrete pl an on how monopoly
i ndustri es a re tra ns ferred to the owners hip of the people as a whole.
73. We have to take thes e decisions becaus e in 2014, we wi ll be rea ching 20 yea rs as a
democratic government and ca nnot conti nue to bla me a pa rtheid for our inability to
redis tribute wea lth.
74. It s hould be understood tha t weal th redi stribution i s not only a bout servi ce deli very.
Whi le servi ce del ivery is important, our people s hould begin to benefit through
ownership, control a nd qua lity employment from the country's s tra tegi c res ources .
All s pa ces in South Africa s hould be devel oped to the fulles t. Our government should
begin to ta ke bold decisions a nd esta blish, fi nance and ma intain concurrent
Industri al Devel opment Zones not onl y in Coega , but a lso i n Sekhukhune,
Rus tenburg, Witba nk, Newcastle, Kuruma n, Welkom, a nd other a rea s tha t ha ve
s ubs tantial natural res ources to coul d sus tai n a l ocal economy for a longer peri od.
75. Coupled to establishment of IDZs , our government shoul d begin to take the ta sk of
buil ding insti tuti ons of hi gher lea rning very s eriously. Our government s ince 1994
has not buil t even a si ngle Uni versi ty, yet s ome of our provi nces need instituti ons of
higher l earning. Mpuma langa and the Northern Cape s hould not s top wi th the
ca mpa igns for the buil ding of quality Uni vers iti es in their Provi nces. Ma ny young
people shoul d be school ed in the home Provinces a nd be gi ven susta inable jobs
where they s ta y. We ca nnot conti nue to celebrate mi gra nt la bour as i f we are in a
colonised country. Al l nega ti ve colonial fea tures should be dealt wi th deci sively.
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
76. In December 2010, South Afri ca wi ll be hosting the 17th World Festival for Youth and
Students , whi ch is an a nti‐imperialis t gatheri ng of young people from progressi ve
forma tions a cros s the worl d. These young people a re orga nised under the banner of
our orga nisa tion, the World Federa ti on of Democratic Youth (WFDY). The
rel ations hip between the ANC Youth League and WFDY i s profound and will need the
whole da y to explain, a nd WFDY's struggles a gai nst apartheid a re forever
commendable. So i t is not by surprise tha t the WFDY Counci l chose South Afri ca as a
hos t of the 17th Worl d Fes ti val for Youth a nd Students .
77. The 16th Worl d Festi va l for Youth and Students wa s hosted in Ca ra ca s, Venezuela
a nd ha d more tha n 17000 pa rti ci pants from 144 countries. The ANC Youth League
has al ready met with the l eadershi p of the World Federation of Democra ti c Youth
(WFDY), pa rti ci pa ted i n the Prepa ratory meeti ngs i n Venezuela a nd North Korea and
more than rea dy to hos t a succes sful worl d fes ti va l. What is rel ieving a bout WFDY i s
the fa ct tha t i t is openl y and una pologetically a nti‐ i mperi alist and opposes any form
of oppression i n the worl d.
78. WFDY ha s a long history of mobilisati on agains t apartheid a nd revoluti ona ries in the
South African National Liberati on Movement ha ve ha d progra mma ti c intera cti on
with WFDY. Ruth Fi rs t wa s once a l eader of WFDY, Wa lter Si sul u a ttended the Worl d
Fes ti val of Youth a nd Students i n 1949, Ahmed Ka thrada s pent 9 months in Budapest
a s Vi ce Presi dent of WFDY before he was tried al ongside Nels on Ma ndela and Wa lter
Sisulu in the Ri vonia Trial . Comrade Ya wa from the Eas tern Ca pe i s a former
President of WFDY, and the i ncumbent lea dership of WFDY ma de i t a point that they
vis it his family when they were i n South Afri ca l ast year.
79. Hos ti ng the World Festival for Youth a nd Students wil l a lso help to tell the long
s ta ndi ng hi story between WFDY a nd the National Li bera tion Movement in South
Africa . WFDY opposed apa rtheid for a very long ti me and i ts exi stence shoul d forever
be consolidated to oppose any form of i njus ti ce across the world. Whi lst
a pprecia ting our pa rti ci pati on i n the International Union of Socialist Youth, we ha ve
taken a conscious decision to revi ve and s trengthen our participa tion i n WFDY,
because that i s where our ideas of a just s ociety are properl y a nd uncompromisingly
expres sed.
80. The ANC Youth League should us e the World Fes ti va l for Youth a nd Students to ca ll
for a more progressive international pers pective from South Afri can government.
Our foreign policy ca nnot be about pleasing the interests of imperialists a t the
expense of progressi ve forces, Our posi tion on Zimba bwe s hould be revis ed a nd a
poli cy tha t s eeks to s trengthen the national libera tion movement i n Zi mbabwe be
a dopted. Our rela tionship wi th na tional l ibera tion movement such as ZANU PF
cannot be jus t defined by how we rel ate with them i n the past, but wha t they do i n
the current period to fi ght agains t i mperialism, eo col onialism and exploi ta tion.
81. Like the ANC instructed in Pol okwane, the ANC Youth Lea gue wi ll conti nue wi th
efforts to i nteract a nd strengthen former li berati on movements in pa rti cula r SWAPO
i n Namibia , FRELIMO i n Moza mbique, MPLA i n Angola , Cha ma Cha Ma pi ndudzi
(CCM) in Ta nzani a, the Communi st Pa rty of Cuba , the Communi st Pa rty of Chi na and
a ll the progressi ve forces , which contributed to our li berati on from a partheid
bonda ge. The ANC Youth League s hould enga ge in a ra di cal poli ti cal progra mme tha t
s eeks to poli tically l iberate peopl e of Swa ziland. How Ki ng Mswati pa rti ci pates i n
i nterna ti onal platforms al ongside South Afri ca escapes our i ma gina tion. We will
engage the ANC to take a clearer position on Swa zil and a nd not be tra pped i nto
pleasing the Ki ng even when the people of Swaziland a re s ufferi ng. We must
continue with our i nterna tional solida rity progra mmes in Western Saha ra , Sudan a nd
Pal estine i ncluding the ca mpa ign on the release of Cuba n five.
WHAT WERE THE MAJOR POLITICAL EVENTS UNDER OUR TERM OF OFFICE?
82. In the 1St Na tional Executi ve Commi ttee meeting of the 23rd Congress Na ti onal
Executive Commi ttee, the ANC Youth Lea gue's observation was tha t the then
President of the Republi c Tha bo Mbeki was not helpi ng the ANC outgrow the
divisi ons tha t cha racterised the ANC towa rds the Pol okwa ne Conference. Our honest
obs erva ti on was that he wa s a t the centre of the poli ti cal chal lenges confronti ng the
ANC and was hell‐bent on undermining the leadership elected in Polokwane.
83. The decis ion to reca ll Pres ident Mbeki was a n excell ent demonstra ti on that the ANC
i s bi gger than all of us. It is not a secret tha t the ANC Youth League was amongst
the fi rs t to gai n the coura ge of openl y cal ling for the reca ll of former Presi dent Tha bo
Mbeki before the end of his term of government. The reca ll of former Pres ident
Tha bo Mbeki led to the forma ti on of COPE by thos e who were not elected in the
Polokwane Conference of the ANC, beca use they thought the recall of Pres ident
Mbeki meant tha t all of them will be des troyed.
84. Before COPE wa s formed, the ANC Youth League wa s the fi rs t to sa y bol dly tha t
those who wa nt to l ea ve the ANC for fa ctional purposes s hould do so as soon as
poss ible. When the ANC was s till holdi ng meetings wi th Mr. Lekota, the ANC Youth
Lea gue was the fi rs t to a ccept the di vorce papers .
85. We said tha t because our convi cti on was premised on the observation we ma de
duri ng our 65th a nni versa ry cel ebra tions, tha t "The Afri ca n Na ti onal Congres s is a
dyna mi c orga nisation, capabl e of risi ng above s torms and ma ny huddl es. It matures
with a ge and a dequately adjusts to va riant ma terial condi ti ons. It cleanses from
withi n i ts elf, obstacl es and predicaments tha t prevent i t from moving forwa rd". We
had to courageously pronounce that those who want to go ca n go beca use some
even from lea dership of the ANC were beginning to be i ntimidated by the forma ti on
of COPE, whi ch wi ll die very soon. ELECTIONS
86. The contri buti on of the ANC Youth Lea gue to the ANC General El ecti ons vi ctory was
profound a nd wi ll go in history as one of the mos t decisi ve, i nnovative and fun form
of contributions. After the genera l elections , the ANC commended the role pla yed by
the ANC Youth League and a dmi tted that the noti on tha t we were dri vi ng votes away
from the ANC was s imply untrue.
87. The 2009 General elections re‐a ffi rmed our s ta tus as defenders of the revolution.
The contributions we made i n mobilising young people to register and ul ti ma tel y
vote for the ANC is i ncompara ble. Whatever ca n be sai d, the ANC YL i s proud tha t
the number of people who voted for the ANC i n 2009 has i ncreased a s compared to
2004. This means tha t the ANC's s upport in pa rticul arl y the tra di ti onal support base
of the ANC has not been eroded. The myth tha t the a rti culati ons of the ANC YL
l eadershi p dri ve voters a wa y i s but a myth which wa s dispelled by the huge turnout
of youth voters to vote for the ANC. Our genera tion should pride i tself over the
rea lity tha t we ha ve made South Afri ca's pol iti cs more vi bra nt a nd trendy,
particula rl y a mongs t youth.
88. No a mount of misa nalysis wil l inti mida te us i nto cowa rdly retrea t of the a cti ons and
s tra tegies we took to mobil ise youth to vote for the AN C. We li ved up to the
expecta tions of our predecessors a nd previous genera tions of the ANC YL. We
ca mpa igned for the ANC i n a ma nner suitable and typi ca l of the ANC YL, a nd we are
proud of the contributions we ma de to the overwhel ming vi ctory of the ANC.
Nothing we did and s aid as the ANC YL during the el ecti ons period is inconsis tent
with wha t the previous genera ti ons di d. We are gl ad that members of the ANC YL
s tood in defence of the leadership when our detra ctors and media di storted what
we have al wa ys s aid. We promis ed to do everythi ng i n our power in defence of our
l eadershi p a nd we i ndeed went all Out to ca mpaign for the ANC to achi eve the
vi ctory we a chieved in the 2009 general elections.
89. An a bs olute ma jority of ANC Vol unteers a nd foot s oldiers a cros s the country were
young people a nd they di d everythi ng in thei r power to retain the African Na ti onal
Congres s to power. The crea ti ve a nd new ca mpai gn methods a nd a tti re wa s a di rect
product of youth ini tia ti ves and crea ti vi ty a s l ead by the ANCYL. The ANC YL was a ble
to a ttract the modernised youth i n the manner as we were abl e to a ttra ct voters
from rural communi ti es a nd towns hips . We gave the ca mpai gn new energy a nd
excellentl y complimented the great job done by the ANC. There i s no youth
forma tion, al liance partner or lea gue of the ANC tha t ever cl aim to ha ve a ttra cted
votes than the ANC YL di d and we s hould pri de oursel ves of tha t pa rticul ar rea lity.
90. The ANC Youth Lea gue a lso took a cons ci ous decisi on to depl oy young people a s
Members of Parli ament a nd Members of Provinci al Legislatures in wha t we thought
i s a wa y to ma ke Pa rlia ment more vi bra nt. We s hould however use this opportuni ty
to delibera te on whether it is a dvisabl e to take young activis ts of the ANC Youth
Lea gue to Parli ament, ins tea d of priori tisi ng recent graduates of the ANC Youth
Lea gue who ca n a lso ra ise youth and developmental is sues wi th the s ame vigour that
the youth deployed ca n.
91. The ANC Youth League Secretary General wi ll report tha t during our term, the
National Youth Development Agency was la unched and a National Youth Poli cy
a dopted under our guidance and poli ti cal leaders hip. We however seem to be
contronted wi th more di ffi culties under thi s NYDA tha n we fa ced when we ha d
previ ous insti tuti ons .
92. Thi s however s hould not ma ke think tha t we ca n go ba ck to the powerless, toothless
a nd dysfuncti onal Youth Commiss ions and Youth Funds , we need to objecti vel y
a nal yse our weaknesses wi th regards to the s uccesses a nd fa ilures of the NYDA. If
the weaknesses of the NYDA a re s ubjective, we mus t sa y so and if they are objecti ve
a nd based on s tructural reali ties, we s hould also sa y s o.
93. The National General Council s hould gi ve the Na tional Executi ve Committee
gui dance on what s hould be done wi th the NYDA because thus far, wha t we
promised wi ll happen from the NYDA did not happen. We still ha ve not established
Provincial Advis ory Boards a nd Muni cipalities do not ha ve the one stop shop for
youth s ervices as we ha d initia lly promi sed. If the NYDA is being us ed to ti ght
factional battl es, we s hould sa y so and defea t such agendas, beca use we ca n never
use i ns truments of youth development to fight ba ttl es for self‐aggra ndis ements and
promoti on.
94. Young people a re a wai ting the servi ces of the NYDA and that is where we shoul d
concentrate. This leadership of the ANC Youth Lea gue adhered to 23rd Na ti onal
Congres s resolutions on the a ctualisation of a poli ti cal educa tion programme. The
National Executive Commi ttee developed a pol iti cal educa ti on progra mme tha t was
presented in the ANC YL Na ti ona l Pol itica l School i n Jul y 2009 and subsequently us ed
i n s ome of the Provi nces a nd regi ons tha t invited the pol iti cal education tas k tea m to
come pres ent the progra mme. The ANC Youth League politica l educati on
programme was i ntroduced wi th an assess ment model, wherei n pa rti cipants i n the
poli ti cal s chool wri te tes ts and ass essed a s to whether they thoroughl y unders tood
wha t was ta ught i n the class room.
95. Now tha t a lmost all Regions and Provi nces ha ve convened thei r Provi nci al
Congres ses, the focus of the leadership in the build up to the National Congress i n
2011 s hould be poli ti cal educa ti on. Al l bra nches of the ANC Youth Lea gue s hould
have undergone a politi cal educa ti on progra mme as pa rt of prepa ring for the
National Congress.
96. Members s hould be taught of all the themes used in the na ti onal curri culum, i n
particula r 1) the his tory of the ANC Youth Lea gue, 2) Organisati onal Democra cy and
Discipline, 3) Na ti onal Democratic Revol uti on, and 4) Economi c His tory of South
Africa a nd Na ti onalisati on of Mi nes.
97. Throughout our term of office, we were i nvol ved in soci al responsibility work, not
because we sought publicity, but beca use we genuinely ca re a bout the well being of
our people. Today we s ta nd proud to affi rm that there a re people who a re a t s chool
with thei r fees paid up, because we ha ve a ssisted. There a re also peopl e who ha ve
decent roofs a bove their heads beca use we ha ve buil t them houses, there a re
orphana ges a nd ol d a ge homes tha t have better fa ci liti es because we have on behalf
of the AN C Youth League assis ted them. The ANC Youth League never stood on the
s ideways when pa rliament call ed i n s ubmission on the ba nning of La bour Brokers .
98. In our s ubmission to Pa rl iament, we s aid, "Labour Brokering does not I i t anywhere
i n the kind of s ociety we as youth wa nt to li ve in, a nd we cal l upon Publi c
Representatives to ill egalise Labour Brokeri ng i n South Afri ca a nd sa fegua rd the
future of many young peopl e who a re bruta lly exploi ted in vari ous fa ctory floors
without rights . We will stop nowhere in fighting for the i llegalisati on of La bour
Brokeri ng in South Africa beca use it does not i n a ny wa y ti t to the kind of society we
a re going to l ive i n". We ma de this submission beca use, our 23rd Na tional Congress
mandated us "l obby and campai gn the illegalizati on of la bour‐brokers and agencies
that unethica lly exploit young people".
99. Fighting labour brokers to us i s coupled with fighting for quali ty jobs for youth. We
ca rry a respons ibility to ens ure that al l young people in South Afri ca have a ccess to
qual ity, proper paying jobs . Whether the wage subsidy for youth will fultil this
objecti ve is a ques tion this Na ti onal General Council s hould answer. In the 2005
National General Council of the ANC, we correctl y rejected a two tier l abour s ys tem,
whi ch wa s proposing to i ntroduce di fferent rules for young workers, effecti vely
taking advantage of the despera tion to work.
100.
The wage subsidy for youth i s not a resolution of the ANC 52nd Na ti onal
Conference and is not pa rt of our Manifesto, so the ANC should express i tself on
whether it i s suita ble before it is i mpl emented. We a ppreci ate the fa ct tha t i n our
term of offi ce, the Progressi ve Youth Allia nce (PYA), which the ANCYL is pa rt of, won
SRC elections i n ca mpuses we previousl y did not control . We won SRC el ecti ons at
the Universi ty of Free Sta te, Wi ts Uni versity, North Wes t Universi ty (Vaa l Ca mpus )
UNISA, a nd improved our majori ty i n the Uni versity of Ca pe Town. Al most al l SRC
electi ons tha t we contested by the Progress ive Youth Al liance did not present us
with major chall enges , provi ng the fa ct that we continue to enjoy hegemony across
a ll spectrum of youth, incl udi ng i n instituti ons of hi gher l ea rni ng. For 2010 SRC
electi ons , we s hould work wi th our PYA pa rtners to ens ure tha t none of the
s tructures of the PYA contes t agains t each other. Avoi di ng these contestations also
requi res s trong, disciplined structures of the ANC YL i n campuses.
101.
Contesting SRC elections shoul d be a ccompani ed by thorough, convi ncing
programmes to tra nsform higher education. Inci dents of ra cis m, unfair financial and
a ca demic excl usi ons, la ck of proper teachi ng a nd l earning support ma terials
continue cha ra cteri se our ins ti tutions of hi gher lea rni ng. Our bra nches i n campuses
s hould ti ght for conduci ve lea rni ng environment and not us e SRCs as a mea ns to
become popula r in ca mpus es and misus e funds all oca ted to SRCs. We ha ve to
continue with ba ttl es to ens ure tha t the Na ti onal Students Fi nancial Ai d Scheme
provi des for al l the needs of students, i ncluding pa ying for a ccommodation, food,
tuition fees, a nd stipend for all poor students. Government s hould als o i nves t heavil y
i n the maintenance of historicall y dis advantaged i ns titutions of hi gher lea rni ng.
102.
Ins titutions of hi gher lea rning s hould produce innova ti ve young
entrepreneurs who wi ll unasha medly contribute to the development of our
communi ties, incl uding through provision of honest servi ces to government. The
l abels of tenderpreneur s hould never inti mi date those who intend to provide
s ervices to government a wa y from doing so. If young people a re not the ones who
gain experience through buil ding of government houses , construction of roa ds and
other infrastructure, who i s going to do i t? This s hould be coupled by development
of s kills, includi ng on areas where Afri ca n youth a re marginal ised, i n pa rticul ar
a ccounti ng.
103.
We need as many Chartered Accountants a s possible from disa dva nta ged
backgrounds s o tha t they help Municipali ties, government at a ll levels a nd young
entrepreneurs to properl y a ccount for a nd excellentl y manage fi nances . One iss ue
we shoul d forever emphasise i s tha t poli tical, s ocial and economi c progress of young
people should not be a li cence to multi‐sexua l rela ti onships.
104.
Multi‐sexual rela ti onships cannot be a fas hiona ble trend a mongs t youth, i n
particula r those that feel l ike they ha ve ma de progres s i n poli tics, s ociall y and
economi cal ly. HIV/AIDS is a reali ty a nd our ca mpa ign on One boyfriend‐One
gi rl friend s hould be intensified. Thi s ca mpaign i s very i mportant becaus e i t has
potential to ma ssively reduce HIV i nfection ra tes i n soci ety, in particula r amongs t
youth. HIV/AIDS is one of the biggest probl ems i n s ociety and we s hould never
undermi ne the deva sta ti on it cause society.
105.
Our overall a nd honest assessment i s tha t si nce 2008, the ANC Youth League
has grown stronger and is a formida ble force not only i n the country's poli ti cs, but
a lso in wha t we have got to sa y in the African continent and globall y. Our s trength is
i ndeed attributed to the fact tha t we ha ve strong s tructures on the ground, which
despite chal lenges , conti nue to mobil ise young people behind the vi sion of the ANC
a nd champion thei r i nteres ts.
106.
The fa ct that we ha ve been a ble to convene a n abs olute majori ty of regi onal
a nd provinci al congress es in record time for the Na ti onal General Counci l, not
electi ve Na tional Congress proves the point tha t our orga nisati on is i nta ct and much
focused. We then ha ve adequate ti me a nd space to organisati onally a nd pol iti call y
prepare all our s tructures for a success ful Na ti onal Congress in 2011.
107.
Our orga nisa tional s trength does not however mean tha t we ha ve not
encountered chall enges . We ha ve over the pa st few weeks noti ced a gent
provocateurs , who ta ke the orga nisa tion to Court in order to resol ve i nternal
orga nisa tional matters. There can never be any s ound reason why dis cipli ned, tried
a nd tes ted cadres of the movement ca n take the orga nisation to Court.
108.
Ma ny of our members and l eaders a re tried, but not tes ted. Tes ted cadres
a re those who apprecia te tha t i n the ANC, there is a lwa ys tomorrow and that the
orga nisa tion ca n a t times a ccuse you wrongl y, yet you remain loya l to the ca use for
tota l emanci pation of the black ma jori ty a nd Afri ca ns in pa rti cula r. It can never be
correct that we harbour amongs t us , peopl e who believe that it is either they are
l eaders of the orga nisa tion or i t dies.
109.
We woul d like to a ssure Council a nd the enti re members hip of the ANC Youth
Lea gue tha t under our l eadership, those who believe tha t they ha ve a divine right to
l ead by hook or crook wi ll never succeed. We ca rry a res ponsibility to sa feguard this
orga nisa tion of Nels on Mandela, Oli ver Tambo, Wal ter Sis ulu, Anton Lembede a nd
peter Mokaba. If i t means we sa crifice our li ves i n defence of the ANC Youth Lea gue,
s o be i t.
110.
Organisati on in a revol utionary s ense s hould have the following features ;
cla ri ty of thought, dedi ca ted l eadership a nd determinati on to s elflessl y contri bute to
change. Wi thout these, there ca n never be any progres s. This s hould inspi re all of us
i n doing orga nisa tional work i n al l provi nces , regions a nd branches .
111.
Some of you mi ght not i denti fy the i mmediate benefi ts of building a s trong
orga nisa tion, but wil l li ve to appreciate that it is pri ma ril y through s trong s tructures
of the Youth League tha t we wi ll l ive to i nheri t a vi bra nt and focused ANC. We s hould
i n thi s context condemn pra cti ces i n Provi nces and regi ons tha t seek to undermine
a nd fra ud our organi sational process es a nd audit for na rrow factional poli tics. It can
never be correct that lea ders of the Youth Lea gue ta ke pri de in defra uding
orga nisa tional proces ses towa rds regional congresses becaus e they wa nt to
s afegua rd thei r narrow personal a mbi ti ons.
112.
The ANC Youth League s hould forever be a revol utionary orga nisa tion, whi ch
i n the process of mobilising young people behi nd the vis ion of the ANC and
championing thei r interests, ma ke sure tha t we a gi ta te revol utionary changes i n
s ociety. An orga nisa tion by i ts very nature i s a formation of dis ciplined people who
purs ue a common s tra tegic objecti ve and goa ls. As a force of the Left, the ANC YL
s hould at a ll ti mes di spla y a certa in degree of ideologica l cl a ri ty, ha rd work,
commi tment, selflessness a nd dedi ca tion to fight for the poor, helpless a nd
vulnerable.
Aluta continua, We shall overcome.