"All over the world younger leaders are taking over"

There needs to be a change in the ANC leadership, the ANC Youth League said on Monday.

“We are convinced new leadership must take over the ANC,” deputy president Ronald Lamola said on Monday.

“All over the world younger leaders are taking over.”  

Lamola said this was a resolution taken at the ANCYL’s national executive committee meeting on August 17 and 18.

The ANCYL welcomed the ANC’s policy discussion document on organisational renewal.

The document was discussed at the African National Congress’ policy conference which was held in Midrand, Johannesburg in June.

The policy documents would be adopted at the party’s national elective conference in Mangaung at the end of the year.

Lamola said all the ANCYL’s structures had been called on to assess the current leadership of the ANC and to assess whether the resolutions taken at the party’s 2007 conference in Polokwane were implemented.

He said the ANC’s new leadership needed to take the party into the future.

ANCYL spokeswoman Khusela Sangoni-Khawe said it was expected that deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe would take the position of president.

“It’s not secret that the ANCYL says there must be a change... and it’s expected that the deputy president will take the position.”  

However, Sangoni-Khawe said the ANCYL respected the fact that nominations for leadership would only open in October.

The ANCYL’s head of policy Abna Mosase said the league was calling for “generational mix”.

He said this was part of the ANC’s policy discussion document on a second transition for the party.

“We reaffirm that we are moving to a different phase,” said Mosase.