ANCYL gets dressing down over feisty media conference

The ANC Youth League in KwaZulu-Natal has been called to order by its provincial leadership for telling the party's national Top 6 to stop meddling in its affairs.

The league hosted a feisty media conference on Wednesday in the aftermath of a Pietermaritzburg High Court ruling a day earlier that its 2015 provincial elective conference was invalid and effectively rendered its elected officials null and void.

At the nearly three-hour briefing‚ the youth league‚ flanked by the women's and veterans leagues‚ told the national executive committee (NEC) to leave the province to make its own decision over whether or not to appeal the judgment.

But KZN secretary Super Zuma told journalists that he contacted the league's leaders "immediately" after the briefing and called them to order.

"I called them and said‚ 'It can't be [like this].' We must respect the higher structure. I spoke to the secretary-general [Gwede Mantashe] and told him that I've already spoken to the comrades and said they had crossed the line and we corrected them‚" said Zuma.

Meanwhile‚ Zuma said that although questions are being asked over the legitimacy of the ANC's KZN leadership following the ruling‚ he was convinced that their structures elected at the 2015 conference were still in charge. He argued that the status quo remained until a decision was taken on whether or not to appeal.

He also denied talk that the PEC will be disbanded.

"I don't know where the issue of disbandment comes in‚" he said. "The NEC has never discussed the issue of any disbandment. It will be premature to talk about that. Let's wait for the NEC. Let's allow the organisation to discuss and come to a decision and then we'll deal with the decision thereafter."