The African National Congress Youth League's (ANCYL's) position on nationalisation and land reform is in line with that of Cosatu and its affiliate Numsa, the union's general secretary Irvin Jim, said on Sunday.

"What emerged in the ANCYL conference was the sum total of resolutions [the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South African (Numsa)] have been talking about," he said at a briefing in Newtown.

The ANCYL adopted resolutions favouring the nationalisation of the mines and expropriation of land without compensation at its national conference in June, to an outcry from opposition parties, civil society and business.

At its central committee meeting last week, Cosatu failed to concretise its position on nationalisation, but took a resolution to scrap constitutional provisions on the expropriation of land with compensation.

At that meeting it was contended that elements within the ANC, Cosatu and the South African Communist Party (SACP) were endangering their alliance.

President Jacob Zuma attributed the crisis to ill-discipline, a lack of respect, the circumventing of normal channels to push forward policies and the use of money to promote self-interest.

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande bemoaned the existence in the movement of politicians acting in their own interests, and a powerful, corrupt, predatory elite.

However, Jim said on Sunday that there was "no real enemy in the movement". The enemy was actually "white monopoly capital".