The Times
*ANCYL demands Mantashe's head* /Young communist chief says it is eye for an eye as he is booed off stage/*Dominic Mahlangu, Nkululeko Ncana and Moipone Malefane, The Times, Johannesburg, 26 August 2010*
New battle lines for control of the ruling party were drawn yesterday as thousands of delegates at a chaotic ANC Youth League conference called for the ousting of ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.
Angry delegates booed Young Communist League national secretary Buti Manamela off the stage in what can be seen as retaliation for youth league president Julius Malema's embarrassment at the hands of communists last December.
The ANC Youth League's national general council in Midrand was delayed for several hours by slow registration.
Most delegates clearly had mandates to back Malema's bid to have Mantashe replaced at Luthuli House HQ by Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula.
Delegates burst into a song calling on Mantashe to make way and let Mbalula to take over.
"Mbalula, Mbalula in 2012," they sang, referring to the ANC's elective national conference to be held in two years. Other songs questioned Mantashe's role in the ANC's disciplinary charges against Malema this year: "Mantashe, what has Malema done to you? Tell us what Malema has done to you."
Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and Gauteng delegates who spoke to The Times before the conference started said they were not going to back down on having Mbalula elected as the ANC secretary-general in 2012.
"There is no going back, Mbalula is our next secretary-general. We are going to campaign hard to see to it that he takes over. Mantashe has failed in his job," said a delegate from Mpumalanga.
Delegates from Gauteng and Eastern Cape said the youth league would lobby to have ANC leader, President Jacob Zuma, redeploy Mbalula to Luthuli House in preparation for his takeover in 2012.
"We made a mistake when we elected comrade Mantashe to be the [secretary-general]. If it was not for the balance of forces in Polokwane in 2007, Mantashe would have been nowhere," said a youth league delegate from OR Tambo region in the Eastern Cape. "He has misused our support, and acted against our president [Malema]."
The league's backing for Mbalula comes a month before the ANC national general council, where Mbalula is expected to test his support base within the ruling party.
Malema and his supporters see Mantashe as too loyal to the SACP, of which he is national chairman, and Cosatu.
In a clear sign that relations between the youth league and the SACP have broken down completely, Malema could do little as delegates booed his former ally Manamela off the podium last night.
As Manamela began reading his message of support to the youth league, delegates began clapping hands before shouting him down.
"Tell [SACP general secretary] Blade [Nzimande] that we are waiting for him," shouted one delegate to loud applause as Manamela left the hall.
"We are not going back. He cannot insult us, and expect that we will keep quiet."
Later, Manamela said: ''This was a simple case of an eye for an eye. Julius orchestrated this thing. It was a stunt between him and his drinking buddies. Julius planned this thing.
"We were invited as friends of the youth league and then denied an opportunity to speak.
''The few people who did this do not constitute the youth league. These were Julius's cronies.
''We are not coming back because we are not welcome here. I was told that they needed to take the next speaker because of what was happening.
''We are unfettered by this because we know it was not the entire delegation which was in support of what happened. We will build a strong alliance with the real ANC Youth League.''
*From: http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article622102.ece/ANCYL-demands-Mantashes-head*
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