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ALLIES: Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi, Young Communist League leader Buti Manamela and ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe at the YCL rally in Modimolle, Limpopo. PHOTO: Tsheko Kabasia

 It is not about your skills, but about who you know 

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Speaking yesterday at a Young Communist League Youth Day rally in Modimolle, Limpopo, Mantashe warned that irrationality, factionalism and the jostling for positions in the ANC posed a risk to rational politics.

Mantashe cautioned against what he said was the very real likelihood that South Africans were already distrustful of politics as a discipline, because of the infighting in the ruling party.

"Rationality and cool headed-ness are more critical in 2012 than ever before," Mantashe said.

Mantashe - like President Jacob Zuma - dismissed criticism of The Second Transition, arguing that it was premature and that the policy document should be debated first.

Mantashe's sentiments were echoed by YCL secretary Buti Manamela, who laid into the ANC Youth League for snubbing yesterday's rally despite having been invited.

The ANCYL was instead represented by national executive committee member and newly installed Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Mduduzi Manana.

Manamela chided the youth league for refusing to attend the YCL rally, instead choosing to honour the invitation of the "Friends of the ANC Youth League" event that Manamela described as tantamount to the formation of a new party competing with the ANC.

In what could be interpreted as an offensive against Julius Malema ally and Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale's financially troubled administration, Manamela told the estimated 1,000 strong crowd that "jobs in Limpopo have eyes and they choose who they want to be associated with".

"It is not about your skills, but about who you know," said Manamela.

He further decried the state of hospitals in the province, where patients were required to bring their own food because hospitals had run out of supplies.

Several departments in Limpopo were placed under administration last year by national government after discovering that the province was billions of rand in debt and could not pay employees and service providers.

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), widely viewed to be filled with ANCYL members and Malema sympathisers, also came in for criticism.

Manamela stopped short of calling for YCL national chairman Yershan Pillay to take over the reins from former ANCYL deputy president Andile Lungisa.

"We need young vibrant people to lead the NYDA irrespective of the colour of their skin."

Comments

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Thu Jun 20 10:45:16 SAST 2013 ::

Jun 18, 2012

truthhurt

The pressure is on him.
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Jun 18, 2012

Les4uu

Ohh chickens have finally come home to roost.

Finally Johnny come lately Mantashe is seeing the light at the end of his term that there are problems in the ANC... Wow!

What an acknolwledgement and late admission.
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Jun 18, 2012

mambaaai

Hahaha Gwede you only realise now.....Manamela nailed it on the head when he said . "It is not about your skills, but about who you know," and clearly people with no skills are in there with one objective..... and its most likely not about helping the people (voters) its about helping themselves.... Gwede you have hit it on the head people can see....and are realising
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Jun 18, 2012

Pointman

Mantashe believes that only the leadership of the ANC have the right to behave irrationally. This privilege must not be infringed upon by lesser "subjects". However he of going to find out that rock solid support of the voters is not forever."

Abe Lincoln said - "You can fool some of the people all the time and all the people some of the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time". True for the ANC too.
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Jun 18, 2012

MGEEZ

Several departments in Limpopo were placed under administration last year by national government after discovering that the province was billions of rand in debt and could not pay employees and service providers.
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This is very interesting when you consider that National and provincial treasury are supposed to check the provincial expenditure on an ongoing basis (Monthly and quarterly basis). Each expenditure item is supposed to be approved prior to the actual expenditure being incurred. Availability of budget is supposed to be confirmed for each expenditure item prior to the actual spending!!! With this in mind; how does the national Department discover that the province was in Debt to the value of billions??? This is pure incompetence, period!!!
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Jun 18, 2012

1tsotsi

Or maybe Manamela should have told the crowed that he has also facilitated tenders in Sekhukhune municipality for feeding scheems to his friends: Oskido, Mahoota amd bruce, hows that Buti?
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Jun 18, 2012

somaartakeit

trust Mantashe to be at hand to 'warn' us about the obvious, Mantashe I really really think you should go on pension, most ppl using as little a 1% of their braincells saw that the anc is in crisis post plkn, now Mantashe is down hill from here on, and we have you plkn pirates to thank for destroying the anc, you guys did to the anc what the nat with all its powers failed to do, you should pat yourselves on the shoulders for the job well done, but then again, you anc ppl have a solid track record of destroying things at least that's one aspect where you are consistent.
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Jun 18, 2012

tpaz

Mantashe's problem is that he behaves like a drunkard who climbed a tree overnight then woke up naked and could not get down.
We are prepared to give him a ladder, and a blanket, but it's up to him whether he climbs down at night or during the day
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Jun 18, 2012

somaartakeit

@1tsotsi
Or maybe Manamela should have told the crowed that he has also facilitated tenders in Sekhukhune municipality for feeding scheems to his friends: Oskido, Mahoota amd bruce, hows that Buti?
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are you serious? if that's true when will the hawks investigate him like they are doing with malema? oops I forgot he is still a friend of the most corrupt president in SA.
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Jun 18, 2012

lindsay

Gwede must just go and clean up he looks dirty, there is no problem in the Anc , he iand his boss are the problem
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