THE newly launched ANC Veterans League will have minimal influence on the ANC compared with other components of the party - the Youth League and Women's League.

THE newly launched ANC Veterans League will have minimal influence on the ANC compared with other components of the party - the Youth League and Women's League.

Centre for Politics and Research executive director Prince Mashele yesterday told Sowetan that he had doubts whether the Veterans League would even be taken seriously. He said the veterans would not have the same political energy of the ANCYL to mobilise.

Mashele said the Youth League's "new culture of disrespecting" the elders would also limit space for veterans to exert their influence.

"The Youth League's new culture of insulting the elders in the ANC will make it difficult for the veterans to exercise their influence. It is not the style of the elders to publicly talk about matters that affect the ANC," he said.

The Veterans League would have voting rights similar to those accorded to the ANCYL and ANCWL.

During the inaugural national conference in Kempton Park at the weekend the veterans elected Sandi Sijake as president, Thandi Memela as deputy president, Natso Khumalo as general secretary, Wesi Seeko as deputy general secretary and Fanele Mbali Herbert as treasurer.

The conference took a resolution to confer former president Nelson Mandela with the Isithwalandwe Award, the highest honour awarded by the ANC, and the position of honorary life president of the ANCVL.