High court throws out bid to overturn ANCYL leadership in Western Cape

An urgent application to have the Western Cape ANC Youth League leadership declared illegitimate has failed in the high court in Cape Town.

Acting Judge Hayley Slingers declined to hear the matter on urgent basis‚ saying applicants represented by advocate Sibonile Khoza had argued that the league constitution warranted an election of a new provincial leadership after February but had brought the matter to court only 10 months later.

“That is not to say that the applicants should not contest the illegitimacy of the [provincial executive committee]. They just cannot do it at this stage [on an urgent basis]‚” said Slingers.

The application was made by a grouping calling itself ANCYL activists‚ who argued that the PEC’s term ended in February and that it was therefore illegitimate.

The grouping also wanted the court to nullify three regional leadership conferences presided over by the PEC last month‚ claiming there were irregularities.

Slingers said the issues were interlinked‚ striking the matter off the roll and instructing each party to pay their own costs.

The first applicant‚ PEC member Luvuyo Mpofu‚ said the group would discuss further steps.