State of ANCYL 'an embarrasment' - Ramaphosa

Ramaphosa delivered the Peter Mokaba memorial lecture in Polokwane on Friday.

The lecture began some two hours late amid security concerns and possible Covid-19 breaches at the Polokwane Council Chambers.

The event formed part of the build up to the party’s 110 birthday celebrations on Saturday.

Ramaphosa told those in attendance that he believes the youth league can still be revived.

He labelled the current state of the league as "an embarrassment". 

“I am so pleased to see you in such numbers because it tell me that the spirit of the youth league is still in your chests, the spirit of the youth league is still alive, and today as we celebrate the life of Peter Mokaba. It basically means that there is hope for our youth league.

"Let’s revive our youth league, let's have real branches of the youth league. As we move to the conference let's choose leaders who are going to put the interest of young people ahead of all others. 

Ramaphosa added: "We must do everything comrades, that the youth league must never go back to the situation that it has been in the past few years. It has been an embarrassment as we were going into the election without the youth league." 

Ramaphosa says the ANCYL must create branches that speak to issues affecting young people.

“This is a challenge to you comrades, particularly as you rebuild branches of the ANC. Your branches shouldn’t be paper branches that only release media statements on newspapers or social media or on the radios insulting each other, let them be branches of the ANC that speak to the issues of young people. 

"We must have real branches of the ANCYL. I want to be able to know and say our youth league is up from the ashes, it is the youth league that Peter Mokaba used to lead."

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