CatsBell’s Open Letter to ANC Youth League Members

Part 1

This is the only part of the letter that is open for comments. Please post your comments here, irrespective of which part of the letter you want to comment on.

Screenshot of the ruling by the ANC's National Disciplinary Committee against the ANCYL top leadership

Dear ANC Youth League Member

As you will be aware, you are facing a crisis.  All the top leaders of the League have been found guilty of serious offences against the political party (and the country, according to the ruling, because the ANC happens to be the ruling party) which they claim to serve.  And that judgement was delivered by the party to which the League owes its existence, and to which it claims allegiance.

Furthermore, given that YL leaders serve as elected, accountable representatives of League members, the ruling against the leadership in fact also applies to every YL member: those leaders were speaking in your name.

So as a YL member you must be asking yourself how you’ve landed in a situation where you’re being branded as harmful to the party and the country to which you thought you were being loyal, and wondering what to do about it.

I happen to have the answers to those questions – as have most South Africans, for that matter.  And I believe that the most likely reason why many YL members apparently don’t have it is because you’re in the thick of things, with much pressure being put on you by some pretty persuasive characters – as a YL member, you hold the keys to a lot of power and wealth for others, after all.

So seeing that the Internet makes it possible for us to talk to each other, I’ve decided to present you with an outside perspective of the predicament in which you find yourself, and to look at what your options are for resolving it – that’s what this open letter is about.

And even if you don’t agree with what I say, it should hopefully still be of some use to you in thinking through the issues facing you as a YL member.

Here’s what’s in the open letter:

Part 2: What business is this of mine?

In Part 2 I provide answers to the first questions popping into the mind of anybody being offered free advice by a stranger: Who’s offering, and why?

Part 3: You’re Being Called Names

I outline the options I see for getting rid of the negative label with which YL members have been branded by the NDC ruling.  However, before deciding which option is right for you, you’d have to decide whether the ruling by the ANC’s NDC was, on the whole, fair or not.  I start off by giving a brief overview of the YL NEC’s statement on the ruling.

Part 4: Independence from the ANC?

I look at what forms the core of the ANCYL NEC defence against the NDC ruling: the claim that the League is independent from the mother body.

Part 5: Victimised for Their Principles?

I take a closer look at the defence claim that the disciplinary action against the YL leadership is the result of a plot against their campaign of nationalisation and expropriation.

Part 6: Your Options If You Think the NDC Ruling Was UNFAIR
In Parts 5 and 6 I return to getting rid of the negative label:  In Part 5 I discuss your options if you’ve come to the conclusion that the ruling is, on the whole, unfair and in the final part (Part 7) I look at:

Part 7 (Final): Your Options If You Think the NDC Ruling Was FAIR

Comments

I’d appreciate comments from anybody who has something to add to the debate, and particularly from Youth League members.

Know someone with something to say about the issues discussed here?  Send them a link to the letter and let’s hear it.  Time for some rational debate on important issues which have, so far, generated far more heat than light.

I’ll try to respond to comments addressed to me where I feel I have something to add to the debate.  (Unfortunately I won’t be able to post more than a few comments per day at most, in the event that there are several addressed to me on a given day.)

Proceed to Part 2 of the open letter