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1. The YCLSA National Office Bearers wishes to distance themselves and the organisation from the views expressed by the YCLSA National Chairperson, Comrade David Masondo, in yesterday's edition of the City Press (title and page).

2. This is an extra ordinary decision by the YCLSA to denounce the action of one of our leaders in public, but since this has been done in public, we had no choice but to take this action in the interest of organisational cohesion and unity.

3. The YCLSA has in the recent past expressed our discomfort in the manner in which the Arcelo Mittal BEE deal has been structured, and our general principled approach towards the role of politicians or their immediate families and business interests, and our opposition towards corruption and narrow BEE. We stand firmly on these views and will never retreat in consistently raising them in a manner that seeks to maintain the unity and cohesion of the alliance.

4. However, we have emphasised the need to desist from public attacks on any leader of the Alliance in the manner in which Comrade Masondo has attacked the President of the ANC and of the republic, and will further take this engagement internally. What is more discomforting is the fact that Comrade Masondo has never canvassed these views internally within the YCLSA, but has now made them public in his capacity as the YCLSA National Chairperson. Whatever our views, whether wrong or right, there are set organisational processes to raise these views.

5. There are already strained relations within the Alliance partners, and as a result, the YCLSA will play no further role in deepening these strained relations, but will seek to constructively towards building unity and cohesion of the Alliance.

6. We call on all our members to exercise restrain and ensure that we use all organisational platforms to raise whatever issues that we deem burning before resorting to public pronouncements.