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ANCYL blamed for chaos in the NYDA

EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu. Picture Credit: Gallo Images
EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu. Picture Credit: Gallo Images

Members of Parliament have voiced their unhappiness at delays in the appointment of board members to serve on the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), blaming it all on ANC Youth League infighting and political patronage.

They also accused the Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe of appointing an interim caretaker to oversee the NYDA's functioning unprocedurally.

ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu had tabled a motion asking the National Assembly to extend the deadline by which the ad hoc joint committee appoints board members to the NYDA to March 31 2017.

But EFF chief whip Floyd Shivambu would hear none of it.

"We reject the motion. There's an interim board appointed outside the rules, the Act of the NYDA does not allow that. On many occasions when this parliament is supposed to appoint NYDA board, but because of internal squabbles in the ANC, of deployments, this process has been delayed. The new ad hoc committee constituted a month ago has not made a quorum, even once," Shivambu said.

He said the NYDA was being run by an illegal entity "and that is not acceptable" and the postponement was being asked for the third time.

DA MP Yusuf Cassim said the first point to note on the appointment of the NYDA board, the process has shown the agency was nothing else but an "employment agency for ANCYL and for the alliance partners".

"This was made evident when a previous ad hoc committee had appointed board members based on a certain youth league faction. We had countless calls from different factions that said this individual didn't make it because he does not come from the correct faction.

"We sit in a situation where the time of parliament has been completely wasted and resources have been exhausted," said Cassim.

He said they had seen "countless desperate measures" to reward those who are loyal with positions on the NYDA board.

IFP youth leader and MP, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, said they had completed the process of interviews and had even short-listed the people for submission to the National Assembly.

"And when the report was ready, things just came to a standstill. Chief whip, you need to crack the whip.

"I honestly believe that we have reached a point where the ANC Youth League must either shape up or ship out.

"We are in this because of the ongoing tensions there about deployment," said Hlengwa.

Joint ad hoc committee co-chairperson Philemon Mapulane said the ANC was requesting an extension to allow public participation and to allow process to be as transparent as possible.

 

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