'ANCYL apology linked to ANC succession battles'

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Tuesday August 16, 2011 00:00

A source close to the ANC has revealed that the youth league made a tactical retreat and apologised for its public statement that the BDP government was a puppet regime under the control of imperialistic forces and that ANCYL would set up a support team to unite the opposition for the purpose of defeating the BDP at the 2014 polls.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said ANCYL had been campaigning for sports minister Fikile Mbalula to replace ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe at the party's 2012 congress and apologised to avoid being suspended.

'They do not want to be suspended as that will affect their campaign for Mbalula, hence they tendered the apology,' said the source.

Former ANCYL president Mbalula is seen as a supporter of the pro-African agenda in line with what ANCYL raised in its statement accusing the Khama administration of openly embracing imperialist policies and posing a security threat to Africa.

ANCYL withdrew its statement and apologised last Saturday, especially with regard to establishing a command team in Botswana.

'We withdraw the statement and apologise because we note that the leadership of the ANC took serious exception on the statement and classified that statement as transgression of (the) ANC Constitution and policies,' it said.

Contacted for comment, ANCYL's secretary for international affairs, Abner Mosaase, said they apologised unconditionally, denying that they had any hidden agenda.

'We don't have a decision like that (to support Mbalula),' Mosaase said.  'We are waiting for the ANC to open the process on the nomination process, then we can talk on that,' he said.

Meanwhile, the Botswana National Front Youth League (BNFYL) says it will hold a meeting with its ANC counterpart 'soon'. 'They have explained to us what is happening there and we are with them,' says BNFYL Secretary General, Arafat Khan. 'We will be meeting with them very soon.'

BNFYL recently revealed that it had shared information with ANCYL at the latter's congress on the BDP government's policies, especially regarding Botswana's hosting the United States-Africa Command (AFRICOM).

The two political youth organisations have a historical and ideological relationship that dates back decades.