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Polity
Published: 07 Jun 2012
ANCYL: Statement by the African National Congress Youth League, at the ANCYL and SASCO bilateral discussion (07/06/2012
The African National Congress Youth League (ANC YL) and the South African
Students Congress (SASCO) held a highly successful bilateral on 6 June to
prepare for the ANC policy conference scheduled for the 26-29 June 2012
in Midrand. We had frank discussions on the many socio-economic and
political challenges facing our country. We deliberated on the ANC
discussion documents prepared for the policy conference and critically
assessed their proposals in addressing these challenges. Amongst the
strategic issues we agreed upon are:

Second Transition
As the ANC YL and SASCO we strongly disagree with the conceptualisation
of the theory of our revolution as contained in the ANC discussion
document titled ‘The Second Transition’. This document misguidedly claims
that the past 18 years should be viewed as a period for democratisation
(political transition) and that next 30 or 50 years should be dedicated
to a thoroughgoing socio-economic transformation in the country. We
reject the mechanical binary that the ‘Second Transition’ draws between
political and economic transformation.

As the ANC YL and SASCO we believe that political and socio economic
transformation is not a two stage process. Our struggle has always been
about the liberation of African people in particular and blacks in
general from all forms of political and economic bondage. We call for a
strategic shift in the characterisation of the ANC as a disciplined force
of the left to be a radical force of the left committed to the meaningful
implementation of the Freedom Charter. The ANC should further reaffirm
white monopoly capital as a strategic enemy of the NDR until we make
significant inroads in achieving the NDR objectives.

Free education for all in higher education
As the ANC YL and SASCO we are particularly disappointed at the ANC
discussion document on education which is a simply a cut and paste of
progress reports of the government’s education departments. We are
extremely worried that there is no concrete and coherent plan on how free
education is going to be progressively realised. We reaffirm our call for
Free Quality and Compulsory education until undergraduate level. We will
lobby the ANC Policy Conference to resolve on timeframes for the
progressive realisation of free education.

We further call for a compulsory provision of National Youth Service for
two years, with the first six months dedicated to theory and the last 18
months providing vocational training. The National Youth Service should
form part of the requirements for all acquiring a degree or diplomas for
those enrolled in institutions of higher learning and further training.
Furthermore we will call for the abolishment of SETA’s because they have
been reduced into cash cows for private companies and not so different
from the youth wage subsidy which we uncompromisingly reject. Not only
are SETA’s another form of wage subsidy, they have also failed to address
the skill deficit in our country.
On Economic Transformation
The ANCYL and SASCO strongly agree on the need for radical shift in the
economy. Nationalisation of the mines and other strategic sectors of the
economy must form an integral component of this radical shift. The
realisation of Freedom Charter objectives can no longer be postponed. The
ANC YL and SASCO are combat ready for an ideological warfare against the
rented free marketers and spokespeople for white monopoly capital opposed
to our call for nationalisation of the mines and other strategic sectors
of the economy.

Nationalisation of strategic sectors of the economy and land
redistribution, the amendment of Section 25 of the constitution needs
decisive political leadership. Necessary changes must be effected on the
Constitution of the Republic to enable people to share in the country’s
wealth. The liberal approach of the ANC on economic transformation is
worrisome. The discussion documents assure and safeguards the interest of
the bourgeoisie at the expense of the poor and the working class which
constitute the motive forces driving our struggle. We will continue to
oppose the plan to introduce the youth wage subsidy and fight for the
total abolishment of labour brokers and other precarious forms of
employment.

A need for an egalitarian development trajectory
ANC YL and SASCO will lobby for the immediate abolishment of the
neo-liberal development trajectory in our country. There is no doubt that
the deepening of poverty, unemployment and inequality is a direct outcome
of the neo-liberal development path being pursued by our government. We
will call for the immediate removal of the neo-liberal Growth, Employment
and Redistribution (GEAR) and the New Growth Path (NGP) and its immediate
replacement with an egalitarian development path buttressed by decent
work and increase on social spending.

A clarion call to all ANC YL and SASCO structures
The national leadership of ANC YL and SASCO calls upon all our structures
in all levels (branch, regional and national level) to hold bilateral to
consolidate our common perspectives as we prepare for the ANC Policy
Conference in June. We call upon our structures to actively participate
in ANC structures to propagate for a thoroughgoing and radical policy
shift in the ANC and the government it leads. The national leadership of
the ANC YL and SASCO have committed themselves to work together,
particularly in dealing with the conflicts between the two PYA components
in institutions of higher learning and further training.