The ANC Youth League finally managed to elect its new leaders on Saturday night – the first elected leaders after the ANCYL’s last conference many years ago.
NEW ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji was elected unopposed at the the Nasrec Expo Centre, south of Johannesburg on Saturday night.
Malatji’s election marks eight years since the youth league had a leader.
Collen Maine was the last president of the ANC Youth League and the structure was disbanded by the ANC national executive committee a few years ago.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula had urged the youth league to take charge of its affairs.
Phumzile Mgcina was elected deputy president of the ANC Youth League.
Mntuwoxolo Ngudle was elected secretary-general.
The first deputy secretary-general is Tskani Shiviti and Olga Seate was elected as the second deputy secretary-general.
Zwelo Masilela was elected as treasurer-general of the youth league.
In the political report that was tabled earlier, the former acting convener of the ANCYL, Fasiha Hassan, had warned of the challenges faced by the youth in South Africa.
She said these were the issues that the new leadership of the youth league would have to confront.
Mbalula had also urged the youth league to play a leading role in fighting for the rights of students.
The conference of the ANCYL comes before the ANC Women’s League and the Veterans League hold their own conferences in the next few weeks.
The ANC had said it wanted all its structures to conclude their conferences so that that the ruling party could start with its preparations for the elections next year.
The ANC had said this will be the toughest elections it has ever faced since the dawn of democracy almost three decades ago.
