We are sorry Comrade Gordhan‚ says eThekwini ANCYL

The eThekwini ANC Youth League has received a tongue-lashing for speaking out of turn about ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize and finance minister Pravin Gordhan.

In December last year the ANCYL launched a stinging attack on ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize saying the former provincial chair had no “constituencies” in the province.

The league had said Mkhize would not succeed if he campaigned to be deputy president in the upcoming ANC national elective conference in December.

Then last week the regional leadership of the Young Lions called for Gordhan to resign and for President Jacob Zuma to axe him over his handling of the SAA affairs as well as the Absa saga.

eThekwini ANCYL secretary Thinta Cibane had said: “We believe Gordhan must go‚ and he must go immediately because SAA is a typical example of why he must go.” The league said Gordhan was taking the side of the monopoly capitalists in a “tug-of-war” against transformation.

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However these remarks are said to have infuriated the ANC provincial executive committee.

The leadership of eThekwini ANCYL and the ANCYL provincial working committee were summoned to a meeting with ANC provincial secretary Super Zuma on Saturday and Sunday where they were read the riot act.

The provincial ANC leadership had instructed the provincial youth league in December to meet with its regional structure over the Mkhize remarks.

Both KwaZulu-Natal ANCYL spokesman Mandla Shange and provincial ANC spokesman Mdumiseni Ntuli confirmed the meeting. However they claimed it was to discuss engagements on several issues.

Shange played down any unhappiness over the utterances and said the issues were “internal” and not meant for the public.

Ntuli said while he is yet to be briefed by Super on the meeting‚ he understood that the engagement was over political developments.

“Yes the meetings started on Saturday. Indeed‚ there have been instances where we had to caution them in public on issues that should be left to national structures‚” said Ntuli. Asked if the meeting also touched on Mkhize‚ Ntuli said: “Yes it’s possible as you know we engaged them before on that.”

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eThekwini ANCYL issued an apology on Monday night.

“The ANCYL eThekwini region held an engagement with the leadership of the ANC on a number of organisational issues. The Youth League understands its existence to be a body of opinion within the movement‚” read a statement issued by Cibane.

“Following engagements with the ANC‚ we have come to differently appreciate the leadership of the ANC in determining the future of ministers and all other deployees. We accordingly respect the opportunity given to us to be engaged by the ANC on the matter of Cde Pravin Gordhan and therefore regret comments made in this regard. We therefore wish to unconditionally apologise to Comrade Pravin Gordhan‚” wrote Cibane.

- TMG Digital/The Times