27/05/2026
MEDIA STATEMENT ON PEC LEKGOTLA RESOLUTIONS AND THE POLITICAL TASKS AHEAD
The ANCYL Alfred Nzo Regional Task Team welcomes the resolutions of the recent ANCYL
Eastern Cape Provincial Executive Committee Lekgotla, which convened to reflect on the
political, economic and social conditions confronting the people of the Eastern Cape,
particularly the youth.
The Lekgotla correctly identified youth unemployment as one of the greatest crises affecting young people in the province and reaffirmed the urgent need for practical interventions aimed at advancing youth development, economic participation and meaningful inclusion in governance and decision-making processes. The ANCYL Alfred Nzo RTT fully aligns itself with the resolutions and progressive programme emerging from the Lekgotla.
ORGANISATIONAL RENEWAL AND THE 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
In preparation for the upcoming 2026 Local Government Elections, and in line with the PEC
Lekgotla resolutions, the ANCYL Alfred Nzo RTT will prioritise the consolidation and
strengthening of organisational machinery and campaign capacity across the region. This
includes strengthening branch election structures, refining campaign strategies, improving voter mobilisation programmes to ensure a decisive ANC victory in the region.
The ANCYL RTT further commits itself to embarking on intensive voter registration campaigns aimed particularly at first-time voters and young people in order to deepen democratic participation and political consciousness amongst the youth.
THE UNFINISHED TASK OF ECONOMIC LIBERATION
The ANCYL Alfred Nzo RTT further notes that the challenges confronting young people cannot be separated from the broader structural contradictions confronting South Africa. South Africa remains one of the few countries on the African continent where the colonial power never fully left. In countries such as Ghana, Senegal and Algeria, colonial administrations eventually departed following independence, allowing indigenous populations to assume control over political and economic systems. In South Africa, while formal political power changed hands in 1994, economic power, land ownership and control of productive sectors largely remained concentrated within historical minority interests.
It is therefore unsurprising that SA continues to remain the focus of imperialist attention and
pressure even today. The political and economic struggles confronting our country remain
deeply connected to the unfinished task of economic emancipation and social transformation.
If the African National Congress is placed on trial politically, then the ANCYL in Alfred Nzo will
equally state their truths from both a political and economic perspective. We maintain that
the democratic breakthrough of 1994 represented a historic victory for the oppressed
majority, but we also recognise that many structural economic injustices remained
unresolved through the negotiated settlement process.
CODESA, SUNSET CLAUSES AND THE CONTRADICTIONS OF TRANSITION
The ANCYL Alfred Nzo RTT believes that one of the weaknesses of our democratic transition
lies in the compromises embedded within the CODESA settlement and sunset clauses, which
preserved many aspects of the old economic order. The consequence has been deepening
inequality, persistent mass youth unemployment, landlessness and continued exclusion of the black majority from meaningful economic ownership.
However, as ANCYL RTT, we reject dogmatism, political extremism and isolation from the
masses. Our generation must be guided by humanity, justice and a clear understanding of the lived realities confronting ordinary people. We therefore see ourselves as a new generation
emerging free from the limitations and fears of the past.
AGRARIAN REFORM AND RURAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
The ANCYL Alfred Nzo RTT therefore calls for progressive agrarian reform aimed at giving
young people meaningful access to land, agricultural production opportunities and
participation in local value chains. Rural youth must become active participants in the
economy and not permanent spectators in the development of their own communities.
IMMIGRATION, SOCIAL COHESION AND DEMOCRATIC VALUES
The ANCYL Alfred Nzo RTT further notes the growing social tensions and contradictions
surrounding undocumented immigration within our communities. While supporting lawful,
constitutional and humane approaches in dealing with immigration matters, the state must strengthen border management systems, improve documentation processes and ensure
compliance with the laws of the Republic.
At the same time, history teaches us that societies built primarily on dogmatic nationalism, tribal superiority or narrow identity politics as the central organising principles often descend into internal instability, conflict or even civil war.
We must therefore never fall for efficiency promised by an authoritarian. The appearance of order and decisiveness under autocratic tendencies can often be dangerous and misleading. Such sentiments typically seek to centralise power from the top, suppress democratic participation in favour of individual authority like a King, Queen or a certain dictator. While they may appear effective in the short term, history has repeatedly shown that they are rarely sustainable and often leave societies deeply fractured in the long run.
INNOVATION AND LOCAL ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION
Importantly, the ANCYL Alfred Nzo RTT believes that South Africa requires greater intellectual
courage and political will to experiment new approaches to development. Our greatest
weakness has often been the fear to pursue innovative solutions suited to prevailing local
realities. Conventional methods of addressing underdevelopment and unemployment
continue to produce limited outcomes because they are often influenced by the very social
and economic conditions that created inequality in the first place.
In this regard, the region supports the piloting of developmental experiments aimed at
institutionalising local industrial, productive capacity and other forms of localised economic
institutions capable of driving grassroots industrialisation.
The National Democratic Revolution remains a living and evolving. While mistakes and
weaknesses may exist, our task is to deepen transformation, defend democratic gains and
pursue practical programmes capable of improving the material conditions of our people.
YOUTH REPRESENTATION AND DEPLOYMENT INTO GOVERNANCE
In conclusion, the ANCYL Alfred Nzo Regional Task Team further welcomes and fully supports
the resolution of the PEC Lekgotla calling for the deployment of the Provincial Chairperson of
the ANCYL into the Provincial Legislature and ultimately into the Executive Council through
the allocation of an MEC portfolio to young people.
This position is fully aligned with the declarations and resolutions of the ANCYL National Congress, which resolved that Provincial Chairpersons of the ANCYL across the country must be meaningfully deployed into their respective Provincial Legislatures as part of advancing youth representation and meaningful participation of young people in governance and decision-making structures.
The ANCYL Alfred Nzo RTT believes that young people cannot continue to serve merely as
election foot soldiers while being excluded from strategic centres of power and governance.
Young people must actively participate in shaping policy direction, governance priorities and development programmes affecting their communities. Meaningful youth representation is therefore not a favour, but a necessary component of accelerating transformation and
advancing the objectives of the NDR.
Forward to Decisive ANC Victory in 2026!
ISSUED BY ANCYL REGIONAL TASK TEAM
Cde Sibonelo Tshonga- Regional Coordinator
Cde Songezo Spambo – RTT Spokesperson
