INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS
ANCYL league president Julius Malema. Photo: Bongiwe Mchunu
The start of the Western Cape ANC Youth League’s elective conference was yesterday delayed as organisers scrambled at the last minute to obtain a quorum.
And, at the time of going to press, there was no sign of league leader Julius Malema, who was supposed to address the conference.
Some members said he was around but unwilling to address a virtually empty hall.
The meeting had been scheduled to start at 10am but hours later delegates were scattered around the University of the Western Cape campus, while a handful waited inside.
By early evening, the venue was deserted.
Frustrated Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officials, campus security personnel, medical personnel and a large contingent of reporters were left in the dark all day, waiting in vain for official word.
A senior ANC member said an insufficient number of voting delegates from branches in good standing had arrived. Speculation was that they were 30 delegates short. Others claimed delegates from the Boland region had caused the hold-up, but this could not be verified.
Neither of the two main contenders for the chairmanship of the provincial league, Jonton Snyman and Luvo Makasi, could offer reasons for the delays.
Senzeni Mphila, the league’s provincial task team co-ordinator said the organisers were dealing with “internal processes” and the conference would go ahead.
Some frustrated members complained they had taken time off work to attend the crucial conference
.
“We are all in the dark. This is bad planning,” one said.
– Weekend Argus
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Malema a no-show at ANCYL conference