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Members of the ANC Youth League sing just before the congress started yesterday — AFP

SOURCES in the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) have pointed a finger at the mother body’s secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe, over the downgrading of ANCYL’s national congress to a policy conference, saying it was a bid to undermine Pule Mabe’s campaign for the league’s presidency. As the congress prepared for its official opening yesterday, groups of Gauteng delegates supporting Mabe were heard chanting derogatory songs about Mantashe. They also declared their intentions to reject the ANC’s plan to scrap leadership elections.

“I’m going to be voting for the candidate from Gauteng,” said one delegate, referring to Mabe, the youngest member of the ANC national executive committee. He turns 35 next year, which makes him ineligible to run for any leadership post if the elective component of this week’s congress is postponed.

The ANC Youth League conference is considered to be the opening battle in the 2017 succession race for the leadership of the ANC. It is expected to be followed by the national conference of the ANC Women’s League, where Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane — linked with Mabe — has been pitted against Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.

Mabe was seen as a front-runner to become the league’s new president, with independent sources saying he also had an ally in the audit committee that vetted voting delegates for the congress. His campaign was also well-funded.

Possible tension between Mantashe and Mabe has been linked to the work of the ANC integrity committee, which is understood to have recently recommended that Mr Mabe step down from the Youth League leadership race.

The integrity committee reports to Mantashe, who is expected to ensure that its recommendations are implemented.

In the event that Mabe’s Youth League campaign is successful, his lobbyists are expected to use the platform to launch a campaign against Mantashe, including pushing for his removal at the ANC’s upcoming national general council in June next year.

BDlive understands that ahead of the league’s congress, the ANC apparently lobbied its provincial chairpersons and secretaries to assist in convincing delegates to accept the status of the conference as merely a “consultative forum”.

The outgoing ANC Youth League national task team — whose mandate will be terminated after this week’s gathering and will be replaced with a new group of interim leaders — also met the league’s regional leaders yesterday morning in another attempt to persuade delegates to accept the ANC’s decision.

A source said yesterday that at the extended meeting of the ANC national working committee on Tuesday night a new interim task team was selected to lead the Youth League after this week’s conference until an elective conference before June next year.

But ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said it was “not true” that a new task team had been selected.

President Jacob Zuma, accompanied by Mantashe, was expected to address the official opening of the congress later yesterday. – Sapa