Too much of our world is led by old men who prove time and again that they no longer fully understand or fit into the digitally driven reality of the 21st century. In Africa the situation is even worse. We were recently treated to the spectacle of a president who has been in office for over 40 years, completely lost to his surroundings at a global summit.

While we can all share memes and criticise them on social media, this phenomenon of the old guard refusing to step down serves as an example of why younger leaders need to be embraced as future leaders of countries and ruling parties.

This may be described as dramatic or ridiculous by many, but the ANC acknowledges that any renewal of the movement must include embracing the ideas and energies of even our youngest members.

This year is by far one of the most pivotal years that will determine the success of the ANC going forward. Not only does the party have to navigate the country through a number of challenges, we also need to get our house in order to ensure that next year South Africans reaffirm their trust in us to govern and to chart a way out of those challenges.

During both our policy conference and national conference, which saw the election of new national office bearers and 80 additional members of the national executive committee, leaders and delegates evaluated the state of the ANC, and we were found wanting in many regards.

Some of the reasons include being out of touch with the needs of communities, weak branches, a lack of organisational discipline, a dearth of political education and training for ANC members, and a movement that comprises many who are interested in their own gains instead of serving society in its entirety.

While the renewal of the ANC needs to happen on many fronts, the movement acknowledges that if real change is going to be accomplished, it requires the involvement of our young people.

The ANC has already taken the first step in this regard by ensuring that a large base of the NEC members is young. It comprises about 40% of younger members, with the youngest aged 30. Many of them are former ANC Youth League (ANCYL) members.

These members will help play a critical role in getting our youth, who are increasingly disillusioned, to participate in the democratic processes of the country, such as voting, and building cadres who want to participate in advancing a prosperous SA for all.

For this to happen, the ANC pointed out in its annual January 8 statement that the ANC Veteran’s League, ANC Women’s League and the ANCYL have very important roles to play in enabling that the movement serves the people and advances their interests and needs.

But the leagues need to have functional structures and dynamic programmes. While both the veteran’s league and the women’s league have been more active in contributing to the renewal of the ANC, the youth league has been in disarray.

“The ANC leadership at all levels needs to take responsibility in reviving the structures of the youth league. The movement cannot afford to have no proper organisation of young people,” reads the statement. 

“The NEC will take a lead in the revival of the youth league so that our movement can connect dynamically with a new generation of South Africans. The NEC will also prioritise the convening of successful conferences of all the leagues to establish proper and effective structures.”

Also, our cadreship will further be strengthened by recruiting members of society with the requisite skills, capacity and experience to enhance our transformation agenda and build a national democratic society.

They will include people with expertise in local government, health, education and economic development and, to ensure the renewal and sustainability of our cadreship, more young people must be drawn into our ranks and leadership structures.

For our intergenerational mix to be successful, we need to see more young leaders coming in, trained and prepared.

And for this to become a reality on a larger scale, some drastic changes are needed in the way we view our youth, and how we support and develop them to ensure they are central to renewal of our movement.

Firstly, a collective leadership strengthens overall leadership, and it must be a diverse team that is prepared to criticise and be criticised.

Our older members must make time to be mentors, while at the same time our younger members must be patient.

Secondly, our younger members must be given strategic roles to help them grow, while at the same time continuing to enhance their political education.

Thirdly, the ANC needs to ensure that younger members form part of all our conversations to build our movement and the country. It must never be forgotten that we have a youth bulge in SA, and young people need the space to speak for themselves.

Fourthly, the old guard must understand that they need to hand over the baton to the younger generation, and that this must happen through comprehensive succession planning.

As we move forward, we must take cognisance that age is not the sole determinant of wisdom, and that our new leadership, even the youngest, is armed with the abilities to take our developmental agenda forward.

Kekana is a member of the ANC’s national executive committee