FS league backs Nkabinde

Upholding party traditions … ANCYL convenor Nathi Mthethwa said controversies and un-ANC tendencies behind conference postponement

Drops Mzobe to back West Rand hotshot for ANCYL  president

The Free State ANC Youth League (ANCYL) has switched support to Gauteng businessman Reggie “Gov’ner” Nkabinde to take over as national league president, dropping Magasela Mzobe whom it had backed for the top job since last year, The Weekly has been told.

Impeccable sources within the ANCYL said the change of heart by the provincial league was in line with a new thinking within national and provincial league structures – which is said to have the backing of Luthuli House — to find a consensus candidate to take over as president and lead the task of rebuilding the league.

The idea to have a new and unifying candidate taking over as president received wide support at a meeting held on Monday between all provincial league secretaries and national league task team convenor Nathi Mthethwa, the sources said.

Free State secretary Dikeledi Direko, who attended the meeting with Mthethwa, could not be reached last night for comment on the matter.

But according to our sources the candidate now being sought for president should be fresh blood that is untainted by previous leadership contests and was not part of Julius Malema’s executive or the national taskforce appointed to run the affairs of the league following the axing of Malema and his crew.

That requirement automatically disqualifies Mzobe, who was national taskforce coordinator forcing the Free State to line up behind Nkabinde, who our sources said looks set to win the backing of the majority of provinces although they did not rule out the fact that other candidates might emerge.

Ronald Lamola and legislator Pule Mabe, who along with Mzobe, were the leading candidates for league president before the new development are also excluded because both served in Malema’s executive.

Contacted for comment on the matter, Free State league boss Makalo Mohale said the province does not have a preferred candidate yet because branches have not yet pronounced themselves on who they want to become the new league president.

Mohale said: “We are not talking about leadership candidates until branches pronounce themselves on that matter. We are yet to hold our BGMs (branch general meetings), possibly from next week, and that is when all those issues will be dealt with.”

But our sources were adamant the province was now rooting for Nkabinde, a former deputy chairperson of the Gauteng ANCYL who was initially said to be gunning for the post of national deputy president before the latest development.

They said the Free State was not acting in isolation but was taking a cue from other provinces that are sold to the idea of having a consensus candidate taking over as president of the league.
“The province has decided to back fresh blood, Nkabinde, who is likely to enjoy overwhelming support nationally,” said another of our sources.

The sources said the Free State league leadership was – just like other provincial executives were doing – in the process of writing to branches informing them about and seeking their support for the decision to support Nkabinde.

“This decision (to back Nkabinde) was taken by the national and provincial leadership and is yet to be discussed with branches that might come up with other names they prefer,” one of our sources said.

“But I know that in the province letters were since Tuesday being sent to branches explaining the whole issue,” added the source.
The sources said Mzobe has indicated he is willing to drop out of the leadership race in the interests of unity but it was still unclear whether Lamola and Mabe would agree to quit the contest to pave way for Nkabinde.

A businessmn with interests in construction, development consultancy and the entertainment industry, Nkabinde has previously said he is ready to serve the youth league and the ANC in whatever capacity he is appointed.

The Nkabinde option could help the Free State end its squabbles over the candidate for league president.
While the league had announced at its provincial conference last June that it would support Mzobe to take over as national president, differences soon emerged with some regions and branches saying they preferred Mabe to take over as league boss. Others said they wanted Lamola.

Meanwhile the Free State ANCYL is said to be pushing for a member of its provincial executive committee (PEC), Biko Mathe, to take the post of national deputy secretary.
It is also campaigning for its spokesperson Mojalefa Buti and other PEC members Victoria De Beer and Nthabiseng Maoke to be appointed in the national leadership structure as additional members.

A new date for the league’s national elective conference is yet to be named after a special meeting of the ANC national executive committee last week postponed the conference that had been due to take place this weekend.

Mthethwa said the conference was postponed because of “controversies around leadership nominations and un-ANC tendencies”.