The 1948 ANCYL basic policy document states the aims inter alia of the ANCYL ... The process of organizational renewal i
BUILDING A STRONG CAMPAIGNING YOUTH ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC FREEDOM IN OUR LIFE TIME
“Entrenching the hegemony of the ANCYL as a vibrant and militant economic freedom fighter” The 1948 ANCYL basi c pol icy document s tates the a ims inter alia of the ANCYL as fol lows : • At ra llying and uni ti ng Afri can youth i nto one national front on the basis of Afri ca n na tiona lism •
At gi ving force, di recti on, and vi gour to the struggl e for Afri ca n Na ti onal freedom, by as sisting, supporti ng and reinforci ng the Na ti onal movement‐ANC.
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At s tudyi ng the pol iti cal , economical a nd s ocial problems of Afri ca and the worl d;
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At s tri ving a nd worki ng for the educa ti onal , moral a nd cul tural advancement of the Afri can youth.
1. It is clear from the a bove tha t the i ntenti on of the founders of the ANCYL wa s to bui ld a
vibrant, mili tant a nd a dyna mi c youth movement tha t will ral ly the youth behind the vis ion of the AN C. Thi s generation even went further to ra di cal ise the ANC. Thi s was evi denced by the poli cy documents a nd the hi storical campa igns tha t changed the cha racter of the ANC forever. The cry “Freedom i n our Lifetime” beca me a ral lying cal l for the youth to be acti ve in the li beration struggl e. It is therefore this cha ra cter of the ANCYL that must be revi ved a nd renewed wi thin the context of organi za tional renewal. The process of organiza tional renewal i s ini tia ted to renew the orga nisa tion to di scharge i ts ma nda te a s s ta ted by the cons ti tuti on, founding poli cy documents and congress res olutions. The process of renewa l mus t s trengthen the organiza tion to be a ble to campai gn for economi c freedom in our li fetime.
2. The prea mble of the ANCYL Cons ti tuti on s ta tes the fol lowi ng: 3. The Afri can Na tional Congress Youth Lea gue was founded i n 1944 as an orga ni zation of
the Youth committed to the ideals of democra cy, freedom a nd pea ce, i t is governed a nd adheres to the policies and progra ms of the ANC, and i ts exis tence i s deri ved from the cons titution of the ANC. The Youth League is a mass youth forma ti on of the ANC committed to the crea tion of a non sexi st, non‐racia l, democratic a nd a pros perous South Africa .
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4. It s hall ral ly all the youth of our Country to pla y an active part i n the s truggl es of the
community and in the building a nd defence of democra cy. In doing s o the ANCYL s hall s tri ve to a chieve funda mental s ocial change for the benefi t of a ll young peopl e. It s hall endure to unite the youth of our country to ta ke thei r rightful pla ce in the a ffairs of the country. The Youth Lea gue ha s over the years organised young people to pla y a cri ti cal rol e i n the s truggl e for liberati on cul minati ng i n the democra ti c brea kthrough of 1994 whi ch opened up opportuniti es for the democra ti c government to a dvance the NDR. 5. It is this campai gning ca pacity of the ANCYL that we mus t revi ve in a ll s tructures of the
orga nizati on. From our bra nches, regions a nd provinces, the organiza tion must be vibrant and dynamic as a lea ving orga nism. Organiza tional renewal mus t hea l the ca ncer of s easonal bra nches ; revi ve the manner i n which our s tructures operate, from bei ng meetings onl y s tructures to being poli ti cal forums and ca mpaign s tructures . With the infl uence of i nformati on technology in soci ety, the Youth League s hould be more innova ti ve, crea ti ve a nd dyna mic without eroding orga ni zational cul ture to be a ble to mobilize the youth of toda y. The youth l eague must effectivel y utilis e the crea ti ve ta lent and knowl edge tha t exis ts wi thin i ts membership to be able to i nfluence s ociety.
6. Orga nizati onal renewal mus t a lso s trengthen the organi za tion to be able to i mpl ement congress and meeti ng resol uti ons . The renewa l process must enabl e the organi zation to effectivel y us e modern technol ogy to strengthen the ca mpaigning ma chinery of the orga nizati on.
A CAMPAIGNING ORGANISATION 7. A Ca mpaigning orga nizati on has the fol lowi ng features but not li mited to: •
It’s a mili tant representa tion of i ts own cons ti tuency.
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Is the one that works together wi th youth ci vil soci ety orga nizati ons on iss ue based projects a nd on sectoral campa igns .
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It’s an organiza tion that has dail y a nd weekl y programs tha t i nvolves its membership.
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A campa igni ng organiza tion s hould be compri sed of a n a cti vi st members hip tha t i s ready to vol unteer i ts s ervices i n all sectors of s ociety. It must be a members hip that is rea dy to ca mpaign on all community issues. An a cti vist membership mus t be found i n a ll sectors of soci ety, non‐governmental orga nisa tions , s ports federa ti ons , communi ty devel opment forums etc.
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An a cti vi st membership tha t will spend i ts ti me, li fe a nd dedica te itsel f in the servi ce of the people.
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A ca mpaigning orga nizati on is a weapon in the ha nds of the people and the youth i n our case to change the material condi tions of the poor.
8. An organi zation whose i nteres t is to serve the people a nd champion the s ocio‐poli ti cal
interest of the youth i n s ociety a t la rge.
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The Imvuselelo campaign is an ANC campaign aimed at building strong and vibrand ANC branches,which are capable of pro viding leadership to all sectors of the population and which are visible in community development efforts and struggles at ward level.
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The 52 Polokwane National Confenference resolved that the Imvuselelo campaign will intensify branch work in each community,to ensure sustainable mass work and establish ANC branches as vanguard of their communities,and to make branches the focus of political and ideological work for cardreship of the movement.
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The campaign’s primary target is the membership and branches of our movement and it finds expression through dynamic contact with the masses of our movement.
9. In recogniti on of i ts history of ca mpaigns a nd the des ire to renew i t, the ANC resolved to
i mpl ement the Imvuselelo Ca mpai gn: •
The Imvuselelo campaign is an ANC campaign aimed at building strong and vibrant ANC branches, which are capable of providing leadership to all sectors of the population and which are visible in community development efforts and struggles at ward level.
•
The 52 Polokwane National Conference resolved that the Imvuselelo campaign will intensify branch work in each community, to ensure sustainable mass work and establish ANC branches as vanguard of their communities, and to make branches the focus of political and ideological work for cadreship of the movement.
•
The campaign’s primary target is the membership and branches of our movement and it finds expression through dynamic contact with the masses of our movement. 3
10. Broadl y, the ANC Youth Lea gue s hould s eek to renew itself wi thin the context of the
Imvuselelo Ca mpai gn as it is a imed a t rebuilding the structures of the movement. Bra nches of the ANCYL should us e thi s opportunity to rebui ld i ts intera ction a nd connecti on with the youth. Mas s mobilisation s hould be the corners tone of the orga nisational activities complemented by the producti ve intel lectual dis cussi ons that seek to infl uence soci ety. These i dea s should never be about who s hould be deployed or lead s tructures , but s hould forever be l ocated wi thin a poli ti cal progra mme. Wi th the Youth Lea gue poli tical progra mme bei ng tha t of Economi c Freedom in our li fetime, wha tever the orga nisation does s hould be ali gned to thi s progra mme. 11. The ANCYL serves as a preparatory school for young members a nd lea ders , by ha rnessi ng their energy, innova ti on a nd enthusiasm in the tra ns formati on process. As a mass movement of young men and women, it s hould a lso provide young a cti vis ts wi th pra cti cal experiences of mass work, probl em sol vi ng and s ervices to the people. In addi tion i t shoul d mobilise and cha mpion youth i nteres t in the ANC a nd broader s ociety. 12. It is through crea ti vi ty, innova ti ve ca mpa igns tha t the ANCYL must ma intain its ma ss
ba sed cha ra cter and its dyna mi c rol e in society. THE BEST OF WHAT THE ANCYL STANDS FOR 13. The Afri ca n Na ti onal Congress will be celebra ti ng i ts 100 yea rs of exis tence in 2012. The
ANC’s 100 yea rs of existence is a celebration of a dynami c organi sational growth, devel opment and renewal which was nei ther homogeneous nor constant i n poli ti cal s tra tegies and i deol ogi cal s tances tha t were ta ken to ada pt to evol vi ng hi story. The durability and s us tenance of the AN C ha ppened beca use it wa s a ble to re‐adjus t and adapt to vari ous objecti ve a nd subjecti ve conditions i n its historical devel opment a nd growth. The role of the ANC YL, whi ch was l aunched 32 years a fter the l aunch of the ANC i s undeniabl y profound and contri buted i mmensel y to ma ny features tha t defi ne the ANC to this da y. Organisational renewal, growth a nd development of the ANC Youth Lea gue s hould therefore be unders tood wi thin the cha ra cter and politics of the ANC because the ANC Youth Lea gue is a poli ti cal wing of the ANC. 14. At i ts formation i n 1944, the ANC Youth Lea gue was not onl y pos iti oned to mobil ise
young people behind the vis ion of the ANC, and cha mpioning thei r i nteres ts , the Congress Youth League (earlier reference to the ANC YL) wa s ra ther positioned a s a formation determi ned to gi ve new i mpetus, radicalise and energise the African Na tional Congress into a fighting force for people’s l ibera tion. The ANC Youth Lea gue’s rel ati onshi p to the ANC is his tori call y more of a poli tical rela tionship tha n a pa ternal /ma ternal rela tionship, cl ea rl y defined more by poli tical programmes a nd s tra tegies whi ch sought to gi ve the ANC new energy. The League wa s never a junior congress , but a pol iti cal youth wi ng of the ANC, with profound i nfl uence on i ts direction.
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15. The ANC Youth Lea gue’s 1944 Manifesto and 1948 Progra mme of Acti on went a l ong
way in re‐s ha ping a nd revol utionising the poli ti cal, organi sational and ideol ogi cal cha racter of the ANC. Onl y fi ve years a fter i ts forma ti on, the ANC Youth League wa s abl e to i nfl uence and cha nge the ANC into a fi ghti ng l ibera tion movement with cl ea rl y defi ned i deology, strategies a nd methods of enga gement. Thi s happened agains t massi ve opposition from the ANC lea ders hip, whi ch someti mes bel ieved tha t the ri se of youth mili tancy would compromis e the ea rl ier character of the ANC of peaceful res ista nce, deputa tions and peti tions wi th the hope tha t the col onia l masters will s how goodwill a nd a llow rights a nd freedoms to civil ised black people. 16. It is against thi s background tha t the renewal perspecti ve s hould s trengthen the ANCYL
to perform its his tori ca l task of being a mi litant ca mpaigning youth movement. It mus t di scuss and develop concrete posi tions on the foll owing as pects of orga nisa tional growth and development: • • • • • • •
Cha ra cter of the ANC Youth Lea gue a nd i ts rela tionship to the ANC; Autonomy of the ANC Youth League; Orga nisational Democracy; Orga nisational discipline; Orga nisational devel opment and growth; Poli ti cal education; Poli ti cal progra mme of the ANC Youth Lea gue.
17. It i s importa nt to make precise politica l reflections on orga nisa tional renewal in order to
poli tically, orga nisa tionall y a nd i deol ogi cally prepare the ANC Youth Lea gue for the revoluti ona ry poli tical progra mme i t wi ll pursue in the pres ent conjuncture and ti mes ahead. This genera ti on of young activis ts ha ve defined the poli ti cal programme a s that of ‘Youth Action for Economic Freedom in Our Lifetime’. The struggl es for a tta inment of economi c freedom i n our lifeti me i s not empty rhetoric, but a poli tical progra mme that requi res resol ute, very fi rm and decisive indi vidual a nd coll ecti ve efforts of al l ANC YL members a nd s tructures . Orga nisational renewal s hould therefore be understood wi thin a pol iti cal progra mme of economic freedom i n our li fetime.
18. Agai n, to ca rry thi s revol utionary programme the ANCYL mus t capture the i ma gination
of the ANC a nd convince its s tructures tha t this i s meant to achi eve the tota l emanci pati on of our people. Unlike i n 1949, the ANCYL today uses the Freedom Cha rter, whi ch the ANC ha s adopted, a s a guidi ng document to i ts perspecti ve. This mus t ha ppen through rigorous a nd fearless enga gement with the ANC at a ll l evels , and the working s tra tegy i s for the ANC YL to si gni ficantl y engage wi th regional s tructures a nd branches . 19. As a rgued somewhere, the ANC is the s tra tegi c centre of power. For effecti ve a nd
funda mental al tera tion in the ownership of the means of producti on in fa vour of the hi storically oppres sed bla ck ma jority, the ANC YL must pl ace the ANC a t the centre of thi s programme. As a ruli ng pa rty and lea der of progres sive forces i t would ena ct laws, adopt progressi ve poli cy in government and mobilise a ll the soci al forces to support the programme of a cti on. The ANC YL mus t posi t a mi lita nt a nd ra di cal programme of a cti on 5
a t the doorstep of the ANC, as the las t mas sive onsla ught on a partheid lega cy a nd the vis ible change i n the ownership patterns of the economic power in the country.
CHARACTER OF SA YOUTH 20. The advert of col oni alism, capitalism and a pa rtheid in South Afri ca has s ubjected young
people to a dvers e pol iti cal , s ocial , cultura l a nd economi c conditions whi ch define thei r exi stence. Ca pita list oppress ion a nd patriarchy lineati on a nd i deological domi nati on by the bourgeoisie (through cul ture, educa ti on, media, and rel igi on) suppressed thei r potenti al for devel opment. Even though young people ha ve al ways been a s ocial strata of South Afri can s ociety, they ha ve been overl ooked and control led by governments tha t had l ittle intention in a dva nci ng their well being. They experi enced abject poverty, res tri cted a nd segrega ted access to educa ti on, s ocial degradati on and brutal oppressi on of their potentials by the sys tem a nd thei r communities. The Apa rtheid government did not develop specifi c pol ici es or progra ms to address the equal development of young women a nd men. 21. However from the ea rl iest decades of the l ast century young people ha ve as serted
thems elves by forming youth organiza tions, protes ti ng a gai nst i njustices, fi ghti ng for better educa ti on and better li vi ng conditions. 22. As the ol d Aparthei d order was bei ng des troyed, and the transiti on to post a partheid
South Afri ca wa s clearl y i rreversible, key is sues that the South Afri ca n youth has had to grabble wi th were: •
Levels of politica l mobiliza tion of young people;
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The growth of youth development dis course;
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The i ns titutionalisation of youth devel opment;
• The reorientati on of the progressive youth movement; •
The wea keni ng of the progressive youth s ector; and
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The devel opment of significant youth culture, i dentity and expression.
23. Youth is a dyna mi c s ocial cons truct which i s chara cterised by youthful energy,
enthusiasm, ambi tion and crea ti vi ty. In modern day society ma ny observers have described the youth as poli tical born frees , ayoba genera ti on, consumerist a nd 6
materialistic. Recentl y a s tudy has said the youth a s a s ocial construct i s a s egment of the popula tion tha t is violent, unruly a nd i ndi scipli ne.
24. On the contra ry the hi gh turnout of young peopl e i n a ll the previous el ecti ons and
recentl y the Na ti onal elections show the level of cons ci ousness amongs t the youth and their appreciation that the ANC is the only organiza tion tha t ca n address thei r soci o‐ economi c cha llenges. Their enthusias tic support for the Worl d Cup ha s al so s hown the people of the worl d tha t South Africa ha s a l argel y young ca ring populati on. This youth tha t cons titutes the majori ty of our popul ation i s mos tl y i nfluenced progressi vely, and continues to s ta nd on the s ide of cha nge. Ma jori ty of the youth is more determined to res ol ve the cha llenges exi sti ng in our s ociety. 25. In broad outline, as rea ffi rmed by our fi rs t ever NGC, key i ssues tha t defi ne the
circums ta nces of the South African Youth toda y are: •
Hi gh levels of youth unempl oyment a nd the exclusion of the youth from the ma in s trea m economy;
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Al cohol and drug abuse;
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HIV/AIDS;
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Educa ti on;
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Sports a nd recrea tion;
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Na ti onalisati on of mi nes ;
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Genera tional mi x i n all sectors of soci ety;
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Cul tural identity.
26. Thus Ma rx a nd Angels sa id that, "thoughts were not pas sive and independent
reflections of the ma teri al world, but products of human la bour, and the contradi ctions of our thoughts had thei r ori gin i n the contra di ctions wi thin human s ociety”. The manner in which the youth think and beha ves as a s ocial fa ctor ha s i ts ori gins from society. The youth’s thinking a nd consciousness i s la rgel y influenced by s ocietal conditi ons . For us to build a campai gning organiza tion, we need to cl ea rl y unders tand the cha racter of today’s youth as a dynamic social construct. We need to campa ign to address youth issues and social ills i n general.
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CHARACTER OF THE ANC YOUTH LEAGUE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE ANC 27. The his tory of the Afri ca n National Congress Youth Lea gue is undeni ably a
revoluti onalising history of South Afri ca . The young a nd dedicated a cti vi sts who gathered a t the Ba ntu Men's Socia l Centre on the 10th of September 1944 to launch the ANC Youth League s ubsequentl y became the true a nd dedicated revoluti ona ries who al together changed South Afri ca 's politica l atmosphere. When the founding generati on of the ANC YL proclai med FREEDOM IN OUR LIFETIME i n 1944, few people ha d the hope that there was a pos sibility that ul ti mately, black peopl e and women i n South Afri ca will gain the freedom, ri ghts a nd independence to choos e a government of their own and coll ecti vel y define thei r poli tical, social a nd economi c des tiny. The formation of the ANC YL radically res haped the methods of struggl e a gainst oppression and gave new energy to the enti re ANC l ed Na tional Liberation Movement. 28. The ANC YL was formed to supplement, consol idate and gi ve new impetus to the
s truggle agains t ra ci al oppression as cha mpi oned by the ANC. Although presented as a means to mobilise young peopl e behi nd the vi si on of the ANC a nd mobilising thei r interests, the forma ti on of the ANC Youth League wa s more a bout a concrete poli ti cal intention a nd progra mme to radicalise the ANC wi thin i ts original objecti ves of uniti ng the bla ck majori ty a nd Afri cans i n pa rti cular. Somewhat, the ANC Youth Lea gue’s poli tical s tra tegies a nd ta cti cs towa rds the ANC were entryi st due to the real ity that in cha racter, the ANC ha s accepted pacifist methods of mobi lisation without offendi ng the il legitimate colonial government, whi ch excl uded the bla ck majori ty. At the outs et, the ANC Youth Lea gue a cted not a s a subordina te of, but a s a body of opi nion in the ANC, and thi s feature was el ementa ry to its succes s in reshaping the chara cter of the ANC. 29. Wi thin the first fi ve yea rs of i ts forma tion, the ANC Youth League was abl e to decisi vel y
infl uence the ANC to a dopt a more radical, forthright a nd confrontational poli tical programme whi ch funda mentall y tra nsformed the ANC i nto a mass mobilisation movement a nd campa igner against racial s egrega tion and economic s ubjuga tion. This ha ppened against a backdrop of serious poli tical and ideological resis tance from wi thin the lea ders hip of the ANC. Al most the enti re l eadership of the ANC was convinced that ANC YL spons ored radical decisions a nd s teps i n changi ng the chara cter of the ANC wil l lead to its downfall . The extent of resis tance to the pol iti cal progra mme was not insignificant beca use the then (1940s ) i ncumbent ANC Pres ident General A.B. Xuma a nd Secreta ry General James Ca lata, both of whom ha d pla yed a cri ti cal rol e in the renewal of the ANC a fter what wa s understood as ANC organi sational deca y under President Pi xley ka Isaka Seme; di d not agree wi th the ANC YL proposi tions for ra di ca l politica l renewal a nd a cti on. 30. Former ANC Youth Lea gue Secreta ry General, Comrade Duma Nokwe who wa s elected
ANC Secreta ry General when he concluded his term a s ANC YL SG at the a ge of 31 ma de thi s observation i n a 1946 pers pecti ve titled “Problems Facing the Youth Movement”. In tha t perspecti ve, Comra de Duma Nokwe s ays, “From 1944 to 1949, the Youth Lea gue concentra ted on worki ng out Afri can Na tionalism, cri ti ci sing the old methods of s truggle of deputa tions and res olutions to the Government, and tried to impose a mili tant outlook. This cul mina ted i n the a dopti on of the Programme of Action at the Annual 8
Conference of the A.N.C. i n 1949”. He further a cknowledges that, “The ANCYL pla yed an i mporta nt pa rt in the a doption of tha t programme of a ction. The salient fea tures of the programme were mass politica l a ctions , in the form of boycott, national da ys of protes t, and ci vi l dis obedi ence”. 31. The transforma ti ve 1949 ANC Conference had to elect a rel atively inexperienced a nd
young l eadershi p of Presi dent James Moroka (who ha d just joined the ANC) and Secreta ry General Wal ter Sis ulu (aged 37) because the older a nd more orga nisati onally experienced genera tion was unable to a djus t and ada pt to the new s tra tegies a nd tacti cs proposed by the Youth League to fight racia l oppress ion and segrega tion. The 1949 Progra mme of Action l ed to the Defiance Campa ign, whi ch goes i nto his tory as one of the most succes sful ca mpaigns to be led by the Afri can National Congres s. Recalling the fruits of the Defiance Ca mpaign, E.S. Reddy sa ys , “The Campaign generated a mass upsurge for freedom. The membership of the A.N.C. increased from 7,000 to 100,000 during the campaign and it became a truly national organization of the people. The Campaign also led to the formation of the Coloured People's Congress and the Congress of (white) Democrats, and then a "Congress Alliance" which played a crucial role in promoting multi‐racial resistance to apartheid in subsequent years”. 32. If the reading of hi story was mecha nical, i t coul d be si mplisticall y deducted that the
transforma tion of the ANC into a trul y na tional organis ation of the people, and the formation of the allia nce a re direct consequences of the formation of the ANC Youth Lea gue in 1944. Yet hi story evol ves in far much compl ex and s ystema ti c rea lities tha n tha t, beca use the combi nation of preva iling material condi tions of tha t peri od a nd the subjective determina tion of the founding leaders hip of the ANC Youth Lea gue di alecti call y cal led for decisive a ction a nd defined hi story. Certai nly, the passa ge of ti me spelled a different tra jectory wi th regards to how the Youth League rela tes to the Afri can National Congress, yet notabl y the ANC Youth Lea gue’s foundi ng genera tion’s commitment to “freedom in our lifetime” took practical s hape a nd wa s led by tha t pa rti cula r genera ti on. The overall assessment and unders ta nding of the character of the ANC Youth Lea gue and i ts rel ations hip to the ANC is tha t i t has been more of a poli ti cal than a materna l/pa ternal rela tionship. The noti on of being a prepa ra tory s chool of the ANC is out of thi s anal ysis of history beca use the young founding genera tion of the ANC Youth Lea gue did not jus t s ee themselves as leaders of the revol ution i n the di sta nt future, but as a gents of cha nge in the pres ent, wi lling to make a ll the s acri fi ces for a progressi ve revoluti ona ry pol iti cal progra mme. The best preparatory progra mme in anywa y ha ppens wi thin a robust poli tical programme a nd a cti ons , not through blind obs erva ti on of ol der leaders a nd wha t they did.
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ANC WOMEN’S LEAGUE
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32 Both the ANC Women’s League and Youth Lea gue a re i ntegral s tructures of the AN C a llotted specifi c tasks i n the Cons ti tuti on of the ANC, to mobilise the women’s a nd youth s ectors res pectivel y behi nd the progra mme of the ANC. However, the YL as a mass orga n of youth i rrespective of thei r sexual ori entation s erves a s the trai ning ground for both the ANC and the Women’s League. The membershi p records of the YL indicate the growth i n numbers of femal e members , these means young women are in ma jori ty i n the organis ation. These put the YL i n a position to mea ningfully contribute i n the building and s trengtheni ng of the Women’s League. It s hould a lso be the ambi tion of the young women to fill the ra nks of the WL to ensure i ts future survi val . The YL shoul d not be as hamed to dis cus s and be concerned about the future of the WL, and it ca lls tha t the YL s hould be preoccupied wi th the tas ks to determine future l eadershi p of the WL. 33. The best prepa ra tory progra mme i n anywa y happens wi thin a robus t poli tical programme a nd a cti ons , not through bli nd observation of ol der leaders a nd wha t they di d.
AUTONOMY OF THE ANC YOUTH LEAGUE 34. The Cons ti tution of the ANC Youth Lea gue sa ys “The ANCYL shall function as an
autonomous body within the overall structure of the ANC of which it shall be an integral part. It shall be based on the political and ideological objectives of the ANC”. The ANC Cons ti tuti on supplement thi s a nd states tha t, “The Youth League will function as an autonomous body within the overall structure of the ANC, of which it will be an integral part, with its own Constitution, rules and regulations, provide d that these shall not be in conflict with the Constitution and policies of the ANC”. 35. The Constitutions of both the ANC a nd AN C YL a s reci ted a re gi ving a form of a utonomy,
but not independent rel ati onship between the ANC YL a nd ANC. The a utonomy of the ANC Youth Lea gue is a vi ta l poli tical relationship, which ca n never be reduced to a Cons ti tuti onal rela tionship a nd s acri fi ced i n the cours e of the revol ution. Autonomy of the ANC Youth Lea gue i s not a by the wa y i ssue, but a revolutionary orga nisa tional pra cti ce whi ch if ignored, could undermine the impetus a nd energy that young people should i mpact in a ny ra di cal poli tical, economi c a nd s ocial change of soci ety. 36. The autonomy of the ANC Youth League a nd genera lly young people in all revol utions i s
el ementa ry to a revoluti on’s progres s and s uccess . Revolutions a re by thei r very na ture a cti vi ti es of young people, a nd ma rgi nalising young people merel y i nto a prepara tory 10
a rra ngement withi n revol utionary movements stifl es the pol iti cal a nd ideol ogi cal devel opment of s uch movements. His tory proves that al mos t all i f not all na tional li beration and revol utiona ry movements that do not have a utonomous youth formations degenerate into i nsignifi cance wi th the pa ssage of ti me. So reducing autonomy i nto a constitutional ma tter wi thout poli ti cs i s a pol iti cal blunder with massi ve cons equences. Tha t is why the autonomy of the ANC YL to formula te novel ideol ogi cal a nd politi cal ta ctics withi n a broa der s tra tegi c vis ion s hould forever be protected. Autonomy of the Youth Lea gue s hould not jus t be reduced to orga nisational autonomy of organising own meetings, but not ta ki ng own decisi ons. It shoul d funda mentall y mean the right of the Youth Lea gue to formulate i ndependent political, ideol ogi cal a nd s tra tegic perspecti ves i n the cause of struggle a nd independent capacity and a bility to robus tl y a dvoca te for such pers pectives . 37. Addressing thi s questi on, the early 1990s ANC Youth Lea gue Provis ional Na tional
Commi ttee said i n a perspecti ve tha t was s ubsequentl y adopted by the KwaNdebele re‐ la unchi ng congress i n 1991 tha t, “The youth can only effectively participate in the liberation of our country and get involved in the building of a democratic South Africa on the basis of the totality of knowledge and experience handed over to it by older generations. At the same time young people should not be encouraged merely to copy or assimilate what is handed over to them. They should do that through an investigative and critical approach. Real education in struggle on the part of the youth cannot be separated from their independent political involvement. A profound appreciation by the youth of the democratic ideals we are fighting for is better consolidated if verified by their independent experience in struggle. Autonomy of the League offers the opportunity for the realization of the boundless resources of energy, enterprise, initiative and free application of the creative potential of our youth”. 38. This obs erva ti on is s o profound and should, as the Ma y 2010 Na ti onal Executive Commi ttee of the ANC Youth Lea gue resol ved, be di ssemina ted and taught to al l leaders of the ANC. Educa tion around a utonomy of the ANC Youth League should be programma tically i ntensified s o tha t a ll a cti vi sts and lea ders of the ANC internalise thi s pri nciple, not for the s ake of it, but for the dura bili ty of the revol ution a nd i ts ideals. 39. Thos e who argued for the forma ti on of the ANC Youth League in the ea rl y 1940s ,
notably former ANC Presi dent Joshua T. Gumede, a rgued tha t the YOUTH LEAGUE ha d to be formed beca use that was the only wa y to ma ke the ANC li ve forever. By i ts very na ture the ANC Youth Lea gue has to be youthful, re‐energi ze and radicalize the ANC and those who a re opposed to its ideals s hould never be tempted to li quidate the ANC Youth League, nor des troy its lea dership. It does ma ny things , some of whi ch would cause cons terna tion a nd dis comfort to the older generation. 40. Ma ny generations before thi s genera ti on defended the autonomy of the AN C Youth
Lea gue a nd this generation owes it upon these generations to protect and defend the autonomy of the ANC Youth Lea gue. Thi s genera tion of Youth League owe it upon the generati ons of Wal ter Sis ulu a nd s ubsequentl y Peter Moka ba to defend the a utonomy of the ANC YOUTH LEAGUE. A possi ble res pond to the 1940s ANC Youth League ca ll for defi ance of the a pa rtheid s ys tem coul d ha ve been dis ciplinary action a ga inst the Youth 11
Lea gue lea dership, but its a utonomy a llowed space for meas ured di scussion whi ch took the ANC forwa rd. When former Presidents Robert Resha a nd Nelson Ma ndela ca lled for a rmed struggl e, it was not policy of the ANC, yet they were al lowed s pa ce to as k why the ANC ha d to ta ke a rmed s truggle. In al l efforts to defend the autonomy, i t shoul d be understood that a utonomy of the ANC YL is a poli tical matter. ORGANISATIONAL DEMOCRACY 41. Orga nisational democra cy is fundamenta lly the culture of broader and equal
pa rti ci pa tion i n organisati onal decision ma king proces s. This i ncludes equal rights for al l members to elect a nd be elected in all structures of the orga nisa tion. This democra cy further i ncludes the ri ghts and obli gations as provided for i n the Cons ti tuti on of the ANC YL. In the Congress movement, the organi sational democra cy is understood wi thin the fol lowi ng principles , contained i n a 1997 dis cussion perspecti ve of the ANC on Organi sational Democra cy a nd Discipli ne: • • • • • • •
El ected Lea dershi p; Coll ecti ve Leaders hip; Consul ta tion; Powers of Na tional Congress ; Ma ndates, Accounta bili ty and Reporti ng; Cri ticis m a nd Sel f Cri ti cism; Democra ti c Central ism.
42. It is i mportant to hi ghl ight that this pers pective on organisational renewal is going back
to basics to re‐as sert the princi ples of orga nisa tional democracy beca use of the cha llenges the ANC Youth League is fa cing. The autonomy expa tia ted a bove should be exerci sed wi thin these pri nciples of organi sational democra cy. 43. Elected leadership refers to the princi ple a nd pra cti ce that sa ys , Leadership of the ANC
Youth Lea gue i s elected at all l evels , a nd re‐el ecti ons a re held a t regula r interva ls. Withi n this princi ple, a n emphasis s hould constantly be made tha t no si ngl e indi vidual mus t become i rreplaceable. In addi tion, elected leaders hip ca n be reca lled before the end of their term of offi ce if they a re not di sci plined. Members , a ccording to the Cons ti tuti on, ha ve a ri ght to take pa rt i n elections and be elected to a ny committee, s tructure, commi ssion or del ega tion of the ANC League. 44. Collective leadership refers to the pri ncipl e that ANC YL ha s leadership collectives ,
instead of a si ngle leader, a t al l l evels of orga nisa tion ‐ BECs , PECS, the NWC and the NEC. The constitution s ets out the powers of ea ch of thes e s tructures and they a re expected to opera te as a coll ecti ve. This mea ns tha t there mus t be continuous a nd ongoi ng consul ta tions on ma tters affecting the ANC YL. In addition, it means tha t a ll members must ta ke respons ibility to explain and ens ure the implementation of decisions ta ken by thes e collectives. Coll ecti ve l eadership als o means tha t l eadership skills, experience a nd knowl edge mus t be sha red.
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45. Consultation refers to the reali ty tha t the s tructures of the ANC Youth Lea gue are s et up
in such a wa y that i t a llows for meeti ngs at regular interval s. The ANC YL bra nch i s the ba sic unit of the orga nisa tion a nd membership pa rti ci pate through monthl y meeti ngs and branch Annual General Meeti ngs (AGMs). Furthermore, branches a re represented a t other s tructures of decisi on‐making such as regi ona l a nd Provincial Counci ls and Conference and, fi nall y, at the hi ghest decision‐ma ki ng body of higher s tructures through a s ystem of ex‐offi ci o representa tion a t all levels of the ANC YL. For example, al l provi nces and Lea gues ha ve representa ti on on the NEC. 46. Consultation i s not an end i n itself. We ha ve consul tations to ensure tha t there is
popula r s upport in the ANC YL for certai n decisions a nd poli cies and are able to expl ain them to others and to the publ ic i n general . Cons ultati on is a lso pa rt of ensuri ng that as a libera ti on movement we remain true to our calli ng tha t our people s hould s hape thei r own destiny, a nd that the ANC YL i s the correct vehi cle through whi ch to do thi s. 47. Powers of National Congress means that the Na ti onal Congres s of the ANC YL i s the
hi ghest decis ion‐making body of our uni ta ry organisation a nd ca n ra ti fy or cha nge any decision or poli cy adopted by s tructures a t other level s. Na tional Congress consis ts of mandated i ndivi duals from all cons ti tuti onal s tructures of the movement a t a ll levels of orga nisation. Tha t is why we have di scussion papers before Congress , general meeti ng, PGCs and other forums to dis cuss iss ues and to el ect our delegates to Congress . 48. Mandates, Accountability, Reporting speaks to the rea lity tha t in the context of the
above, our organisati onal s tructures should provi de elected members with ma ndates to gui de them when they repres ent us in va ri ous structures of the ANC YL a nd el sewhere. When we elect Youth Devel opment Officers , MPLs , MPs or counci llors, we shoul d ha ve poli cies and broad strategies for how we want to transform a pa rti cular s ector, and the rol e our ca dres s hould pla y and combi ne towards this process . 49. This i s not to s ay that we do not encourage indi viduals deployed to express thei r views ,
nor that those elected to lea ders hip posi tion. All members of our orga nisa tion a re expected to thi nk for thems elves, to be able to rais e a nd debate their i deas a t a ny ti me, and to be a ble to take initi ati ve to further the goal of our s truggle. We expect leadership to lead our movement, ensuri ng tha t we respond to chal lenges a nd tha t we i mpl ement our programmes. However, when there is a need to change in s tra tegy or poli cy, we expect l eadership a nd elected repres entati ves to cons ult and get fres h ma ndated on the new di recti on. 50. Criticism and Self‐Criticism refers to the fa ct tha t ANC YL does not bel ieve that a ny of
our members a re beyond cri ticism. Our movement a nd our strategi es are al so not beyond cri ti ci sm. This means ha ve regular evaluati ons, ques tions mus t be as ked and cons tructi ve criti cis m encoura ged. We mus t a lso ha ve a ca detship a nd leaders hip who a re humble and prepa red to li sten to constructive cri ticism. Pa rt of bei ng a ca dre als o means an ongoing process of sel f ‐cri ti cis m, eval uati on, l ea rning improvi ng our s tra tegies , ta cti cs a nd policies as a movement.
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51. Mos t of us would broadl y a ccept the a bove. However, the challenge is to integrate this understa nding into the work of our cons titutional s tructures. For exa mple, s hould the NEC, PECs , RECs have, a t l east once a yea r, a session built i nto thei r regul ar cons titutional meeti ngs to assess themselves as leadership col lecti ves and the strengths and weaknesses of individual ca dres who s erve on thes e collectives? 52. Democratic Centralism is derived out of the fact tha t the ANC YL is a uni tary a nd
na tiona l organi sation. Its opera tions a re gui ded by the pri ncipl es of democra ti c centra lism whi ch includes the following: 53. Decision of the majority prevail After debate and dis cussion on a particula r issue in the correct s tructures , a decision is taken whi ch is binding on all members of the ANC. Even i f a n i ndi vi dual has moti va ted or voted for a di fferent pos ition, tha t individual wi ll ha ve a responsibili ty to implement and defend the decision tha t ha s been ta ken. This a pproach pres ents a number of di fficul ties . One of the central probl ems wi th thi s approa ch i s the following questi on: 54. Decisions of higher structures bind lower structures.
As a uni ta ry organisati on, this pri nciple a ppl ies. Because of this there is the provi sion for ex‐officio representati on of l ower structures in all hi gher structures in a ll higher s tructures of the ANC. The NEC i s the highes t decision‐ma ki ng s tructure between na tiona l conferences a nd therefore has the overa ll res ponsibility of ensuring tha t conference res olutions a re implemented, that the cons titution is uphel d, tha t i t leads lower s tructures and ma intains the cha ra cter, dis cipli ne a nd uni ty of the ANC YL and tha t national i nteres ts a re bala nced wi th sectoral and geogra phi cal considera tion and interests. 55. Responsibility of leadership and cadres The na ture a nd cha racter of the ANC YL means that ca dres and lea ders must ta ke thei r res ponsibilities and ri ghts seriously. For exa mple, leadership collecti ves at al l levels often ha ve to take deci sions in the i nterest of the movement whi ch ma y be unpopular. A leader who is part of such a collective ha s the responsibility to understand the moti va ti ons for such deci sion and explain it to the members hip and the publ ic i n general. Thi s al so mea ns tha t leaders hip col lectives must be i n touch wi th popular sentiment i n our s tructures as wel l as with public opinion. In this wa y, when decisions a re ta ken, the movement ca n take along i ts support base a nd not make errors of judgement whi ch may ba ckfi re. Cadreship mus t dis play strength of their convi cti ons to rais e ma tters and problems i n forums where they ha ve the opportunity to do so, even i f thi s ma y ri sk indi vidual promotion. The interest of the organisati on mus t be pla ced above sel f‐i nteres t. Lea dershi p, on the other hand, must ensure tha t there is a climate that a llows for the open deba te and rai sing issues and dea l wi th vi cti mi sation shoul d this arise. The res ponsibility for the democra tic chara cter of the ANC is the responsibility of both leaders a nd ca dres . 14
Our ca dreship a nd our lea dership mus t stri ve for pers onal a ttributes s uch as commitment, dedi ca tion, l oyal ty, respect for others, modesty, i ncorruptibi lity a nd cri ti cal , i ndependent thinki ng. Overa ll, the membershi p of the ANC Youth Lea gue should be s chool ed i n these pri nciples and forever be expected to li ve through them. 56. The ANC Youth League shoul d cons ti tuti onalise pri nciples of orga nisa tion, more
es pecially the essence of the ANC Youth League a s a uni ta ry orga nisa tion. Thi s will go a long wa y in guaranteei ng the s anctity of the ANC Youth Lea gue bei ng unitary orga nisation, which a dheres to pri nciples of organi sational democra cy. As much as rights a nd obl iga tions of members a re constitutional, the pri ncipl es of orga nisa tional democracy s hould als o be i ncluded in the cons ti tuti on of the ANC Youth Lea gue. ORGANISATIONAL DISCIPLINE 57. The mos t outs ta nding a cknowl edgment in the ANC a nd entire na ti onal l iberation
movement i s a n observation tha t “Discipline is a weapon of struggle and transf ormation. It does not exist for its own sake, but to safeguard the unity of the movement, ensure that it is able to fulfil its historic mission and achieve its objectives”. This is s o profound and goes to the heart of our organisational va lues and pri nciples, because all our objecti ves and political programme can be undermi ned i f we a re not rea dy to exercise ma ximum dis cipli ne. 58. As a poli ti cal matter a nd a gai n goi ng ba ck to basi cs, dis cipl ine enta ils tha t a ll members
a re abl e to a dhere to the pri ncipl es of organis ational democra cy and adhere to a ll the Cons ti tuti onal obliga tions outlined i n the ANC YL Cons titution. Al l ANCYL members are obli ged to: • • • •
• •
•
• •
pl edge thei r uns werving l oyal ty to the ANCYL a nd pla ce themsel ves under i ts overa ll di scipline; carry out deci sions , duties a nd directives wi th dili gence; orga nize, pa rticipate and contribute posi ti vel y to a ll ANCYL a cti vi ties and to contribute to the s trengtheni ng of its organic unity; ra lly a ll youth to support a nd uni te behi nd the ANCYL and a cti vel y parti cipa te i n the crea ti on of a uni ted, non‐ra ci al, and non‐sexis t. democratic a nd prosperous South Afri ca; protect the AN CYL a nd i ts property a t a ll ti mes by exercis ing ma ximum vi gi lance; exerci se dis cipli ne a nd exempla ry behavi or at al l ti mes a nd maintai n ha rmonious rel ati ons wi th all members of the ANCYL a nd the communi ty i n general; combat a ll forms of tri balism, regi ona lism, nepotism, and other forms of di scri mina tion ba sed on ra ce a nd s ex a s wel l a s comba ti ng fa ctionalism and ma licious gossip withi n our ranks ; initiate a nd pa rti ci pa te i n a cti vi ti es aimed a t promoti ng international s olida rity, pea ce and s ocial Jus ti ce; every member of the ANC Youth League a bove the a ge of 18 sha ll be obli ged to join the ANC.
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59. These pri nciples and obligati ons have got to be re‐emphasized because members tend
to ta ke them for gra nted a nd trea t orga nizati onal process a nd protocol a s something tha t i s a side issue. At all ti mes, members shoul d be guided to res pect and a bide by these obliga tions. 60. As a broa d principle, organisational dis cipline means tha t members of the organisati on should not engage themselves i n di vis ive a nd fa cti onal activi ties . This s hould not be misunderstood as meaning tha t members s hould not ca nvass and l obby ea ch other of poli tical, i deologi cal a nd l eadership matters of the organisati on. Members should apprecia te tha t once deci sions a re taken and once l eaders hip i s elected, lobby groups become factions, whi ch do not ha ve interests of the orga nisati on. 61. The ma tter of fa cti onal is m s hould be a ddressed beca use l obby groups in the
orga nisation a re getti ng ins ti tutionalised wi th vari ous na mes , budgets, paraphernalia , coordi na tors , La wyers a nd meeting venues . In mos t instances, the budgets for fa ctional purposes and activities exceed the budgets for normal organisational work. It is conspicuous ly very di ffi cult to draw a thi ck line between a l obby group a nd a fa cti on, but at orga nisa tional management l evel , certai n iss ues should be guided so tha t they do not seem like a cceptable pra ctices in the movement. This i ncludes a complete il legalisation of fa cti onal ma teri als a nd paraphernalia being used in orga nisa tional meetings . It s hould be puni shable for members to wea r or display fa cti onal materials such as t‐shirts , ca ps, posters in organi sational meetings a t all level s. 62. These ki nds of fa cti ona l offences s hould be dealt i n a s tandard way a cross a ll bra nches,
regions and provi nces of the ANC Youth Lea gue. The Na tional Executi ve Commi ttee should issue out gui delines , i ncluding a mi nimum s entence of how branches shoul d admi nister dis ciplinary process of members who wear a nd/or di splay fa cti onal materials and pa ra phernalia in orga nisa tional ga theri ngs . This a pproach is necess ary and a voi ds a si tuati on where one member woul d be gi ven a ha rsher sentence, whils t the other gets a li ghter s entence for s imila r offences .
ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH 63. In the pres ent conjuncture, both qua lita tive a nd quanti ta tive organi za tional growth a nd
devel opment is elementa ry a nd s hould never be dis counted. The founding genera tion of the ANC YL ma intained and s ustained a rel atively s mal ler orga ni zation of intel lectuals with profound capabi lity to i nfluence the Afri ca n Na ti ona l Congress. The conjecture we a re li vi ng in requi res both quality a nd quanti ty beca use our noble ideals s hould be translated in actua l numbers wi th rega rds to s upport for our programs and ultimately el ectoral s upport for the ANC as a politica l pa rty i n a multi‐pa rty s ta te, a nd the chara cter of today’s youth as a dynamic social construct.
ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN 16
64. The ta sk of rebuilding ANC YL after unba nning has been done pa ral lel to the structures
of the ANC. We ha ve al ways foll owed the real ignment processes i n the ANC. Pres ident Nels on Mandela des cribed challenges the ANC wa s facing duri ng the rebuilding process as fol lows: “The ANC is emerging from the sha dow of 30 yea rs of underground exis tence and is enga ged in establishi ng i tself once more as a l ega l politica l movement. The problems rela ting to this transiti on a re i nnumerable. We ha ve been obliged to recons truct the orga nizati on from the smallest loca l branch unit to the National leadership s tructures during a period of very ra pi d change and high expecta ti ons i n our country. Tha t the process i s uneven s hould not dismay us or al arm us . Tha t i t is fra ught with new and unique chal lenges was to be expected. Tha t we do not all see the problems i n the s ame l ight wa s inevitable gi ven the deferri ng s trands of experience that shaped our membershi p, from its leading bodies to the branch level ”. The post 1994 period al so witnes sed a vi bra nt youth organi zation sei zed wi th a n agenda to s eize, advance a nd accelera te the opportunities of democra cy. We crea ted s tructures of youth devel opment and mobilized the youth to focus on bui lding a new soci ety free from apartheid i njustices orga ni zed a round our wel l‐defined program, the RDP.
65. It is high ti me we revi ew our orga nisa tional s tructure in l ine with our s trength. Unli ke
many s tructures of the ANC, s tructures of the ANCYL a re mos tl y constituted of unempl oyed youth who cannot afford to a ttend organiza tional work, meetings, ra llies etc due to the cost invol ved. This ca n be a ttributed to the fa ct that whil e we share the sa me boundari es with s tructures of the ANC, the ANC a nd its l eaders a re better res ourced than members of the ANCYL to execute organiza tional progra ms but we a re expected to servi ce the s ame bounda ri es.
66. This challenge affects all our structures from Branch l evel . These challenges a ffect us
because we must do more on poli tical educati on. Our structures mus t therefore be more crea ti ve to fi nd wa ys of financing our orga nizati onal campa igns .
67. The phenomenon of seasonal branches has opened spa ce in soci ety where the youth
s ta rt violent s ervice del ivery protests wi thout a ny poli tical guida nce from the ANCYL. As a di rect response to the above menti oned chal lenges a model of a n ANCYL branch should: 17
•
be prima ry organ for ma intaining direct contact with the youth where they li ve, a t a local l evel . They s erve a s the organi c nexus between the ANCYL and the youth community, between the membership a nd l eadership s tructures of the movement;
•
The mobi liza tion a nd poli tical educati on of our youth res ts squa rel y on the shoulders of our bra nches. In the post Aparthei d context, a s trong ANC YL bra nch is both a s chool of poli tics where members a re tra ined i nto community lea ders and agents for community devel opment;
•
It s hould serve as an i nformation centre for the l ocal youth;
• It s hould serve as a crea tive centre for i nnovative wa ys of ca mpai gns a nd new songs. •
It s hould s erve as direct contact with communi ty based NGO’s , Soci al Clubs a nd Sports tea ms wi thin i ts l ocali ty;
• It s hould be vis ible in all community ca mpa igns throughout the yea r a nd not onl y during el ecti ons and congresses.
68. The criti cal question tha t faces us as we revi ew the twenty years since the re‐l aunch of
the ANC YL i s whether the democra ti c breakthrough cha nges have i mproved the orga nizati onal ca pa ci ty of the ANC YL at local level to give effective lea ders hip of the moti ve forces , put differently have the s tructural cha nges of the ANC YL bra nches enha nced our ca pacity to uni te a nd s erve communi ties effecti vel y.
69. We need to ca mpaign for i ntergenera tional mi x i n al l s tructures of soci ety. Young
people mus t l ead Sports Federations , Social Cl ubs, NGO’s, Compani es etc. The youth mus t be i n the fore front i n all soci al and economi c s truggles in this country. 70. The other organiza tional chall enges that we need to pha se a nd deba te is the
functi onality of our commi ttees . All MDM s tructures are ha vi ng a chall enge of non‐ functi onal commi ttees. Comrades onl y attend NEC, PEC, REC and ful ly branch meeti ngs . The a bove si tuati on can be attributed to va ri ous fa ctors l ike mis unders tanding of committee roles by commi ttee members, unwillingness to attend, resource cons trai nts . In ma ny i ns tances i t is resource cons traints as members mus t a ttend commi ttee meetings and deployments . We ha ve to tackle the res ource cons trai ns challenge i f we a re to implement orga ni zati onal progra ms and comra des mus t commi t themsel ves to i mpl ement programs of the orga nizati on.
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71. Mos t branches of the ANC Youth League tend to l imi t members hip (ga te‐keeping) a nd
recruit only up to 100 members or a littl e bi t a bove tha t. They do s o beca use they want to a voi d si tua tion where they will not reach quorums for Cons titutional Bra nch a nd Annua l Genera l Meeti ngs of the ANC Youth Lea gue. Thi s tendency works agains t the cha racter of the organi za tion a s a mas s youth movement and the l eader of the youth generati on. The perpetua ti on of these s eeks to ki ll the hegemony of the organi za tion and the broa der a ppeal it s hould enjoy in the communi ty of youth. There shoul d be a way to al ter this phenomenon beca use ma ny young people wa nt to join the ANC YL, but cannot beca use they are kept outside for quorum purpos es by branches . 72. As a n immediate sol uti on to thi s problem, perhaps the 24th Na ti onal Congress shoul d
a mend the Cons titution to sa y tha t quorum for al l Constitutional meetings wi ll be 50 members plus 1, even for bra nches that ha ve members above 100. This would encoura ge bra nches to recruit hundreds of members into the organi sation and broadl y prepa re them for membership of the ANC a nd l oyal ty into the movement. This would al so avoid the ques tion of ga te keeping for purpos es of reachi ng a quorum. Alternatively, the mi ni mum number of members per bra nch can be increased to 200, with a quorum of 100 plus 1 member. 73. These a re s ome of the consi dera ti ons tha t should be ma de a s a wa y of s etti ng the s ta ge
for the quanti tative expansion of the organi sation. It s hould be emphasised tha t the matter of proposi ng quorum to be 50 members plus 1, even i n ci rcums tances where membership of a branch i s a bove 100 is not to s hy awa y from the l egi timate role tha t bra nches s hould do i n mobilising members to meetings. It is an a pprecia tion tha t by their very na ture, young people are not s ta ti c a nd they frequentl y enga ge in ma ny other educa tional a nd social a cti vities tha t requi re them to reloca te or utilise their s pare ti me for va ri ous other engagements . 74. The emergi ng mi ddle cl ass ma jority of whi ch is loca ted in the s tra tegi c centres of the economy i s criti cal i n the overa ll development and tra nsforma ti on of the economy. The YL mus t be able to enga ge a nd define the tasks of this s ecti on cons istent wi th our devel opment pa ra digm. 75. Wi th South Africa ’s growing middle cl ass most of them being young peopl e
professionals like, Doctors , La wyers , Engi neers , Entrepreneurs etc, the ANCYL i s pha sed with a challenge to recrui t them into the organi za tion a nd ensure thei r full pa rti ci pation in organi za tional programs. Their ski lls a nd experience could be us ed on many policy di scussions and pl atforms tha t the youth lea gue is dea ling with on regula r ba ses. Secondl y, the recent electi ons outcome i n urban areas where there i s a black mi ddl e class should serve as an indicator of our declini ng i nfluence, there i s a rapid growth of an unconscious mi ddl e clas s. 76. This mi ddle cla ss ha s a lso endured di fficulties and il ls of a pa rtheid that ha ve exposed the
depth at whi ch transforma ti on in this country shoul d go. Wha t has come to the fore a nd confronti ng thi s section of the youth is the deep ra ci sm that still inherent or exi st in the professional bodies and the conti nuing deli bera te denial of opportunities perpetuated 19
by the domi nati ng white males. There is a n indirect job‐reserva tion for the whi te youth in pra cti se here, i f not there i s lack of upward mobili ty for the bl ack young professionals . The professi onal bodi es delibera tel y purs ue professional exams tha t a re unreasonable and expensi ve to deny the his tori ca lly dis advantaged the opportuni ty to regi ster as professionals. We need to ha ve targeted campai gns tha t s peaks to the interest of these young l awyers , doctors , engineers a nd ma ny other professi ons, fi rs tl y our ta rget s hould be to transform the professionals bodies and seek to change thei r worki ng conditions. We need to recrui t them i nto our ra nks through regula r meetings and ca mpaigns i n their s ectors of i nteres t and encoura ge them to contribute mea ningfully in expanding the frontier of the mos t s carce skills. Our campai gns should al so be ta rgeted to the chi ldren of the above mentioned professionals a nd the a ffluent groups lea vi ng i n the up market suburbs ’ a nd s ecurity estates. 77. The ANC YL shoul d a lso broaden i ts focus on va ri ous s ecti ons of young people who could pa rti ci pa te in the orga nisati on. It s hould expand to a cti ve mobi lisation of reli gious youth and consider the crea ti on of rel igious youth desk to coordinate thi s a cti vi ty. In a si milar manner tha t the Youth League organises the Young Women’s Ass embly, there shoul d be efforts to orga nise religious a ssemblies for young people i n order to enhance and ha rness the organisation’s appeal to religious youth in a ll our s tructures . 78. As pa rt of expa nding the ki nd of members hip the ANC Youth League recrui ts in s ociety, there should be a cons ideration of a llowing membershi p appli cation through the Internet. If s uch i s a greed upon, potential members could be allowed to a ppl y for membership through the internet a nd only get admitted a s members a fter they have been referred to thei r Branches for formal accepta nce and pa yment of membershi p fees in pers on.
79. Youth l eague structures s hould als o l ook a t i nstituti onalising certai n campai gns by
forming NGO’s , Coopera ti ves or establishing pa rtnershi ps wi th communi ty based orga nisations i n line wi th a pa rti cular campai gn, for example an NGO for unemployed youth that will trai n the youth on different skills, and other means of crea ti ng empl oyment. 80. The ANC Youth League shoul d develop pra ctical efforts to mobilise young workers ,
pa rti cula rly cas ual workers working i n the va ri ous i ndustri es. Mos t young workers a re hi red through labour brokers a nd s pread acros s res ta urants, hotels, chai n s tores , ai rports, construction companies, securi ty companies and many other sectors a s cas ual la bourers . The ANC Youth Lea gue s hould develop a focused progra mme which mobil ises these young people and raise their concerns i n a more effecti ve wa y. 81. Another i mportant component of mobi lising youth shoul d be what mos t AN C Youth
Lea gue structures did during the 2009 General electi ons . In the electi ons , new methods of mobi lisation were a dopted, such as Rides a nd Braai , Bi kers , Mini Coopers, Chi ll Sessions, etc. Most of these a cti vities were compli mented by a ttendant trendy 20
pa raphernalia wi th organisati onal brandi ng. This ki nd of mobi lisation s hould not onl y ha ppen during elections, but s hould be adopted for ANC Youth Lea gue rall ies and other a cti vi ti es. This keeps the ANC YL in constant touch wi th young peopl e a cross a ll s pectra. 82. The ANC Youth League s hould a lso infi ltrate a nd effectivel y uti lise the new platforms of
communicati on and i nteraction i n s ociety, the s ocial networks such a s fa cebook, twitter, mixit, etc. These pla tforms a re a t ti mes utilised to undermine organis ational princi ples and processes , yet the ANC Youth Lea gue s hould i n a regula ted manner utilise s ocial interacti on pl atforms to spread its mess ages and i nformati on. Thes e are new platforms and forms of communicati on in as much as webs ites and e‐mail were when they began. 83. Our li beration s truggle has ta ken the form of an African tale, cha ra cteris ed by song as a
means to mobilise s ociety a nd our people into war and vi ctory. This i s an i nheri tance tha t ca nnot be left unattended wi thout a proper pers pective on how to protect a nd sustain i t. It cons ti tutes pa rt of the monument of pride to our peopl e a nd reminds them of thei r effort a nd s acri fi ce to li berate the l and of their forefa thers . 84. Fi rs tl y, there is a need for a comprehensive protection and defence of thi s heri ta ge
a gains t the a ttempts of the rea ctiona ry forces to defa ce a nd delegiti mise the struggles of our people a gainst colonial oppressi on and a parthei d segrega ti on. Secondl y, as we cel ebrate the Centena ry of the National Liberation Movement, the ANC, we mus t s eek to remi nd ours elves of the war of enga gement wi th forces of oppression through our songs and enha nce them a s instruments of mobi lisation to expres s the demands of toda y. The ANC communi ty a nd members s ing songs of prai se, bra very and those tha t expresses the progressi veness of our agenda. Demeaning and rea ctionary songs do not belong to our ranks . Our his tori cal songs s hall be s ung without l imi t, li ke our battle to declare any a rea s aid to be a ‘no go a rea’ to be a free zone for a ll. 85. Another cri ti ca l component or orga nisa tional ma na gement that requi res revi sion is the
whole questi on of expa ndi ng a nd clearl y defini ng the rol es of s ub‐regi ons and zones . With the approva l of Zones a nd sub‐regions a s per the 2008 Constitutional a mendments, the ANC Youth League s hould consider gra nting RECs more res ponsibilities a nd status wi thin orga nisa tional ga therings . Thi s woul d a ddi tionally entail granting regional Chai rpersons and Secreta ries ful l ex‐offi cio status and voti ng rights i n Na tional Congresses a nd extending ful l ex‐offi cio s ta tus a nd voting ri ghts to regional top fi ve officials in all Provi ncial Congres ses. This s hould be expanded a nd res ol ved i n clear guidelines.
86. As a rgued somewhere i n the document, the capacity of the ANC YL to implement and
execute i ts decisions is a ma tter of concern. The fol lowi ng is what is proposed to effectiveness of the orga nisa tion to ensure the rea lisation of the objecti ves of Congress res olutions. Ma y be the ANC YL must consider:
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• Making increa sing the number of Na tional Working Committee members who
are full ti me, especiall y the Deputy Secreta ry‐General, Secretary for Youth Development, and introduce Secreta ry for Projects and Ca mpai gns or make the whol e Na ti ona l Working Committee full time, s pecifica lly to increase supplement the ca pa city of provinces and regi ons i n the execution of the progra mme; or • Propose to ma ke Regi onal Secreta ries to be full time offi cers of the organisati on at tha t level to l ead a nd complement the work of Regi onal Orga ni sers , a nd ma nage the organis ation on dail y ba sis. • YL in provinces a nd regions mus t ha ve designated offi ces properl y furni shed with worki ng computers a nd telephone, e‐ma il and internal ma il network that l inks regions, provinces wi th na ti onal office to ensure smooth tra nsmission of memora ndums and letters between offi ces . 87. Previous Congresses of the ANC Youth Lea gue ha ve adequatel y dealt with the ques tion
of mul ti ‐cappi ng i n the orga nisa tion through cons ti tuti onall y forbidding members to hold more than one pos iti on in the orga nisation. This was cons ti tuti onall y ca ptured i n the Constitutional cla use tha t s ays when elected to a n upper structure; those s ervi ng i n lower structures shoul d a utomatica lly res ign thei r positions i n the l ower s tructures . This pri nciple shoul d be developed to sa y tha t those servi ng i n upper s tructures should automati cal ly resi gn their pos iti on once they accept nominati on for el ection i nto l ower s tructures . This wi ll a voi d members of upper structures contes ti ng l eadershi p in lower s tructures with gua rantees tha t they wil l be reta ined i n the upper s tructures , which a mongs t other thi ngs carry the res ponsibility of overseeing the politica l a nd orga nisational work of lower s tructures. 88. The princi ples advoca ted for i n the paragra ph above s hould be advocated for i n the Afri can Na ti onal Congress to ensure tha t ANC leaders a re not conflicted i n the rol es they pl ay wi thin s tructures of the organi sation. Another leaders hip pri nciple tha t the ANC Youth League should constitutionalise i s that of a utoma tic resi gna tion from ANC Youth Lea gue s tructure if an executive commi ttee member of the Youth League is elected as an offi cial in the AN C structure on the sa me level. This means tha t a BEC member el ected i nto the top five of the BEC of the ANC s hould resign their pos iti on i n the Youth Lea gue if they a re als o i n the BEC of the Youth League. This will assis t the ANC to cons tructi vely rela te to the ANC Youth Lea gue, but al so al low spa ce for l eadership progressi on withi n the organisation. POLITICAL EDUCATION 89. Poli ti cal Education is the li feblood of the orga nisa tion a nd shoul d forever constitute the
da y to da y a cti vi ti es of the AN C Youth League. It is an objecti ve rea lity tha t a ny revoluti on that does not reproduce its ideas i s bound to fai l. All ANC Youth League s tructures shoul d standardise politica l educa ti on i nto thei r ma instream progra mmes and constantl y ensure tha t al l members have a proper gra sp of the poli tics of the Afri can Na ti onal Congress.
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90. Branches of the AN C Youth l eague should forever l earn a nd tea ch themselves a bout the poli tics of the ANC Youth Lea gue, the ANC a nd the alliance. Even i n ins ta nces where there are limited res ources , branches s hould convene to discuss the Cons ti tution of the ANC Youth League a nd sha re a mongst members, their interpreta tion of ANC YL Cons ti tuti on. 91. Poli ti cal education for members s hould not be l imi ted to organi sational theory only,
there shoul d begi n to be sessi ons on s oft s ki lls and other empowerment educa ti onal content tha t i s gi ven to members . Members shoul d be gi ven informa tion and educati on on how to appl y for jobs and how to s pea k i n public, ma ke pres entati ons and va ri ous other i mportant components whi ch wi ll contribute to personal devel opments. ANC Youth League regi ons a nd branches shoul d organi se Ca reer development programmes to gui de members on ca reer options a nd va rious other opportunities offered by the Sta te, pri vate sector a nd ci vi l society. 92. The Na tional Executi ve Commi ttee s hould i ntensi fy educa ti on on orga nisa tional
mana gement for provi ncial and regi ona l leadership to i ncrea se thei r unders tanding of al l orga nisational mana gement ma tters . This programme s hould necessarily i nclude educa tion on is sues rel ati ng to members hip fi ling, a udit, i nduction of members , a nd orga nising. This is very i mportant because ma tters of organisati onal management should not be fa ltered, pa rti cularly tha t our recent past his tory has demonstra ted tha t orga nisational mismanagement ha s potential to dis rupt poli tical work in regi ons a nd provi nces . POLITICAL PROGRAMME OF THE ANC YOUTH LEAGUE 93. Orga nizati onal renewal, growth and development shoul d forever be understood wi th a
clea rl y defined politi cal progra m. The emphasis on orga ni zati on democra cy a nd di scipline i s not the ultima te end, but methods and amour tha t should gui de and help the ANC Youth to a tta in its objectives . The ANC Youth Lea gue’s 1948 Basi c Pol icy Document ma de a cl arion cal l that, “poli ti cal democra cy remai ns an empty form without subs tance unless i t is properly grounded on a base of economi c a nd, es pecially, industrial democra cy”. 94. The poli tical program of the ANC Youth League towards the centena ry of the ANC is
summed up as tha t of attainment of “ECONOMIC FREEDOM IN OUR LIFETIME”. Thi s si mpl y means tha t all the economic cla uses of the Freedom Cha rter s hould be gi ven pra cti cal meaning and i mpl emented i n our l ifetime. The peopl e s hall s ha re i n the country’s wealth should not jus t be a cla ri on call , but shoul d be turned i nto a concrete program, whi ch i ncludes Na tionalization of Mi nes , banks , monopol y indus tries and l and redis tribution. Perspecti ves in that rega rd a re developed. 95. The Freedom Cha rter ha s envisioned the Opening of the Doors of Lea rning a nd Cul ture.
Our key hi storical dema nd which we still gra pple with toda y i s a cces s to qual ity educa tion by al l the children of South Africa. This means a delibera te effort on the pa rt of the s ta te to provi de free and compul sory educa tion for all wi th i ntention to ensure hi gh levels of l itera cy a nd numera cy as the basis to era dicate poverty a nd 23
underdevelopment. The ANC YL shall not fa il to rea lize the full implementation of the Pol okwa ne Conference resolution, for i t woul d ha ve failed the a spi ration of the youth of thi s country. 96. The ca mpaign to build a healthy s ociety a nd promotion of healthy li fes tyle fl ies i n the
ability of the s tate to provi de ba sic health i nfrastructure to al l. The youth popula tion is confronted wi th a va ri ety of fatal di seases, whi ch i f not a ttended ea rl y ha ve the potenti al to deci ma te the future na ti on. The AN C YL mus t campai gn for at once the i mpl ementa tion of the Na ti onal Hea lth Ins urance Scheme as a means to ensure a cces s to health fa ci lities by all . Secondly, it mus t l ead in a wa reness ca mpaigns on HIV a nd Aids, ca ncer, a buse of al cohol , teenage pregna ncy, a cces s to sa nita ry towels for young women a nd better food. 97. This generation of the ANC Youth Lea gue ca rries a res ponsibility to defend the Freedom
Cha rter and ensure tha t all its ai ms and objecti ves a re realised and implemented. Efforts to undermine the meani ng of the Freedom Cha rter shoul d be i solated from the ANC, and should not even be supported for lea dership res ponsibilities from wi thin the orga nisation. Thi s is a ma tter the ANC Youth League should not be ashamed of because rea lity is tha t the ANC requires determi ned a nd ideologically cl ea r a dherents and proponents of the Freedom Cha rter to ta ke us forwa rd. Those who continue to a ccount to imperialist forces shoul d be isola ted from the orga nisa tion because they ha ve potenti al to undermine our future. 98. What members shoul d appreciate is tha t all the issues we are ra isi ng on economi c
freedom in our lifetime are elementary to the succes s of the revol ution a nd conti nued support for the ANC by the masses of our people. This program constitutes our future and we shoul d do everythi ng to defend the pri ncipl es because this genera ti on wil l inheri t the ANC whi ch cannot bla me pa st i njus tices for mas sive i nequalities a nd suffering of our peopl e. Our generation wil l ha ve to ta ke ful l res ponsibility on why young peopl e do not ha ve jobs and why there a re no proper houses for al l our people. 99. So in s umma ry, a tta inment of economi c freedom i n our l ifeti me mea ns tha t we shoul d do everything we can to ma ke s ure that the ANC government utilises the ma nda te of the people to realise a ll the economi c cla uses of the Freedom Cha rter. THE PRGRESIVE YOUTH ALLIANCE The first ever NGC of the ANCYL has directed us to revive the Progressive Youth Alliance. We need to critical asses the current political conjecture and put forward concrete proposals for a vibrant PYA. Our s tra tegi c and tacti cal perspecti ve deri ves i ts politi cal and strategic ori enta tion from the Freedom Cha rter.
100.
We s hould be conscious of the fa ct tha t the ques tion of the Youth All iance a nd i ts functioning i s essentiall y a bout consoli dating a nd deepening the NDR through ensuring tha t the alliance a cts as a uni ted and coherent force to fa ce all the cha llenges.
101.
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Let us quote Cde OR Thambo i n this regard from hi s pol iti cal report to the Ka bwe conference in 1985: “We must act as a vanguard force, the repertory of collective experience of our revolutionary masses in their struggle for National liberation. We must be organized to act as such”. Throughout his tory and since i ts conception the PYA has evol ved into a pla tform of the mobi lization of va rious youth sections/organi zations behind the NDR.PYA as a forum(alliance) of all progressi ve youth formations i n the country has been able to mobilise youth a cross different sections of s ociety behi nd the struggle agains t aparthei ght.
102.
Gui ded by a common visi on of the a chievi ng the entire freedom cha rter objectives the PYA shoul d continue to mobilize youth behi nd the tra ns formation (tas k of buil ding a new soci ety) a nd youth development. Broa der s ecti ons of youth and soci ety in genera l s hould be conti nuousl y mobi lized behi nd the vi si on of economic freedom i n our life ti me. A vis ion for the a ttainment of all the freedom cha rter objecti ves .
103.
Congress mus t emerge wi th progra ms tha t wi ll reaffi rm the ANCYL as the lea der of the PYA. The ANCYL mus t provi de s tra tegi c poli ti cal direction to the PYA. The ANCYL mus t ens ure that there a re programma ti c rela ti ons through mass bas ed ca mpaigns in the PYA.
104.
REVIVAL OF MASUPATSELA Mas upa tsela ha s pla yed a crucial rol e in the pas t to empower young children on the cul ture, va lues and poli tical direction of the ANCYL and the ANC. Resea rch has proven that ea rl y chi ldhood devel opment is a key to the future educa tional s uccess of young chil dren. Kids today a re expos ed to a lot of technol ogi cal ma teria l like the power s ta tions, you‐ tube a nd many others whi ch do not conscioutise them a t an early s ta ge. We therefore ha ve to revi ve the young pioneers’ movement from the age of 8 to 13 yea rs to develop ca dres a t an earl y a ge, teach them the val ues a nd the mis sion of the ANC and the ANCYL, inculcate the s pi rit of pa triotis m, prepares the young ones to s well the ranks of the ANCYL.
105.
CONCLUSION 106. Organi sational renewa l, democra cy a nd dis cipli ne shoul d forever be unders tood withi n a poli tical programme a nd not depoliti cised i nto a programme of buil ding strong bra ches without a concrete poli ti cal direction and progra mme. The ANC Youth Lea gue’s founding generation pos sessed adequa te and deci sive cl arity on what the poli tical a nd ideol ogi cal direction of the ANC s hould be, yet had limita tions with rega rds to orga nisational s tructures on the ground. Thei r massi ve influence was a mongst others
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grounded a proper comprehension of the poli ti cs of li beration and a daptation to evol vi ng his tory. The mos t i mportant component a bout the founding genera ti on of the ANC YL was tha t they di d not treat thems elves as a junior l eague or pre‐school a rrangement of the ANC. The foundi ng generation apprecia ted tha t as young people; they ha d a cri ti cal rol e to pl ay in the ANC and were therefore a deci sive cri tical body of opi nion i n the Afri can Na ti onal Congress. Such chara cterisa tion and understandi ng of the ANC Youth Lea gue ga ve i t the mass ive infl uence it had on the di recti on of the ANC and reshaping of South Africa ’s hi story.
107.
The current genera tion of the ANC Youth League ha s to ca rry on with the s truggle of realisi ng the entirety of Freedom Cha rter objecti ves. The mos t important weapons for such a s truggle a re ideologica l/political cla ri ty and the abi lity to marshal a quanti ta ti vel y a nd qua lita tivel y expanded orga nisati on. This shoul d be cha racterised by a thorough comprehension a nd a dherence to princi ples of organisational democra cy and discipline. The tas ks ahead of thi s genera tion are not insi gni ficant a nd deeper understa nding of the character of the Afri can Na ti onal Congress a nd its concomitant programme, the Na tional Democra ti c Revolution.
108.
In his ca ll to the Na ti on to make South Afri ca ungovernable through Ra dio Freedom OR Ta mbo s aid the following: “l et us therefore mobilize and march together in even grea ter unity towa rds freedom. At a ll ti mes we mus t expect tha t the enemy wi ll res pond wi th grea ter repression. We mus t wi thsta nd thi s ca mpaign of terror wi th the sa me determi nati on tha t we ha ve di spla yed over s o many months . But more, we must defeat ca mpaigns tha t are a imed a t undermining us and rais e our s truggl e to hi gher levels. Our wa tchword mus t be organiza tion, mobilisati on a nd s truggle. All our people mus t be mobilised i nto action. Al l our people must be orga nised for a cti on. All our people mus t enga ge in the s truggl e. This ca ll by Tambo remains releva nt even toda y in tha t we need our members to be enga ged i n al l our s truggl es. As our s truggle is a gai nst whi te monopol y ca pi tal , they wi ll throw all ki nds of propa ganda agains t our membership a nd l eaders , in certain i ns tances ta ke them to Court .We must ca mpai gn to buil d a better soci ety.
109.
Now i s the ti me for the youth of SA to be organi sed to face the enemy using modern wea pons of wa r.
110.
111.
END
END
END
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END
END
END
Source Reference documents: • ANCYL Basi c Poli cy Document • ANCYL Cons ti tuti on • ANCYL Branch Manual • 21st ANCYL congress documents • 23rd ANCYL congress documents • 1st ever NGC of the ANCYL documents • Problems of the youth movement (1956) Duma Nokwe • Umrabulo number 33,2 nd quarter 2010 • Umrabulo number 31 • Mpumal anga 2010 congress orga ni zational report • Gauteng 2010 Congress politica l report
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