Cape Town – The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) says it will not apologise for criticising underperforming ministers and holding them accountable.
In recent times, the league publicly criticised Employment Minister Thulas Nxesi and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan.
According to EWN, the league’s spokesperson, Zama Khanyase, said that they were expressing the frustrations of the youth.
During the ANCYL’s conference earlier in August, its president, Collen Malatji, criticised Nxesi for the high unemployment rate, and also criticised Gordhan for authorising the sale of state-owned enterprises.
Despite the ministers’ dissatisfaction with these statements, Khanyase said that there was no malicious intent and that they hoped their remarks would drive conversations aligned with the organisation’s goals and the concerns of young people.
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“They remain our views unless we have been convinced otherwise. We are hopeful that [if] we speak about these things, they [will] actually spark a conversation that is going to drive towards our narrative as an organisation and what young people are saying on the ground,” the report quoted Khanyase as saying.
The league plans to meet with both ministers to further discuss their comments.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
