ANC flag outside Luthuli House. Picture: Michel Bega Despite ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa’s assertion that the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) is ready to lead, the organisation failed to deliver basic services at its own elective conference in Polokwane, Limpopo. At the opening of this conference, Ramaphosa said: “The ANC Youth League has come of age, and it is ready to lead.” He further said the participation of the ANCYL at the party’s national general council shows that it is ready to take responsibility for the “country’s future”.
He was speaking at the University of Limpopo on Monday, where the ANCYL held its conference, which was attended by more than 3 000 delegates. But this conference was marred by numerous problems, including a lack of food, time delays, difficulties accommodating delegates and allegations of politically managed processes, such as the election of officials. Some delegates resorted to sleeping in taxis and buses while trying to get registered at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, while others also complained about the poor-quality food at the event, including receiving only brown bread for breakfast.
The media also faced challenges: there was no adequate media lounge for reporters to work from until the last day of the conference. While a media room had been prepared on Monday, it was far from the plenary tent where delegates were meeting. Some estimate it was 2km away.
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In addition, it had no proper tables and chairs, no Wi-Fi and no bathroom. Accreditation was another major problem for both reporters and delegates to the conference. A notice from the ANCYL indicated that accreditation will be settled between last week Saturday and the following Sunday. But even at the end of the conference, there were some people without accreditation.
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