By Simon Nare
ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji has told young people in the movement to rise up, take up senior positions at national level and run the organisation, saying that “pensioners [are] killing the ANC every day”.
In a recorded video posted on social media while he was on the campaign trail in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday, Malatji said the ANC of Oliver Tambo could not be “killed by pensioners” after surviving the apartheid regime.
He was reacting to ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe’s walkout at Cosatu’s 15th National Congress on Monday, 12 October, describing his behaviour as “irresponsible and arrogant”. He said Mantashe could not dictate the federation’s programme because he was an invited guest.
ALSO READ: ConCourt to rule today on ANC bid to reinstate 181 election candidates
“We can’t be worried about the platform of Cosatu when there is high level of unemployment of youth in this country. Pensioners are killing the ANC every day. There is one pensioner yesterday (who) walked out of a Cosatu conference. A conference of workers, where we must be united.
“He went there thinking he was representing his jacket and his family. He forgot that he went there to address the working class on behalf of the ANC. The ANC is not an arrogant organisation. We can’t go to a conference of Cosatu and tell Cosatu what time we want to speak and when we want to speak when we are invited,” said Malatji.
He said at least Mantashe had publicly announced that he would not seek another ANC leadership position when his current term expires. He added that the sooner Mantashe and fellow “pensioners” in the party retired, the better, so that young people could take over and correct the organisation’s course.
Mantashe announced in December last year that he would not stand for another ANC leadership position at the party’s 2027 elective conference, citing his age.
“If they don’t retire voluntarily, the youth of the ANC must rise and remove them out of positions and install ourselves. The ANC of Oliver Tambo can’t be killed by pensioners, the ANC of Oliver Tambo survived apartheid, the ANC of Oliver Tambo will survive even the moment of today and rise and be the parliament of the people again,” Malatji said.
Speaking to journalists while campaigning in the Eastern Cape, Malatji said the league would meet Mantashe to understand what had informed his decision to walk out of the conference. He added that the ANC must always remain humble, even when dissatisfied.
ALSO READ: Teen accused of stabbing six-year-old girl to remain at youth facility ahead of bail hearing
“The incident that happened at Cosatu is unfortunate, but we will have a session with the national chair to understand what fully informed that. I have not spoken to him yet about the matter but how it is presented, it is presented as [if the ANC is] an arrogant organisation,” he said.
Mantashe, who was leading the ANC delegation at the congress, walked out in protest against the speaking order of alliance representatives, insisting that the ANC should speak last, after the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco).
He said the ANC traditionally speaks last at alliance gatherings and that he would not abandon that principle.
Efforts by ANC Veterans’ League president Snuki Zikalala and Cosatu’s then-general secretary Solly Phetoe to persuade him to address delegates failed.
