ANC Youth League President Collen Malatji wants the minister of employment and labour removed.
The African National Congress (ANC) has called its youth league leadership to order after president, Collen Malatji, openly lambasted an ANC deployee and Minister for Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi.
Malatji attacked Nxesi during his closing address at the second leg of the ANC Youth League's 26th National Congress on Saturday in the Free State.
He was addressing the high unemployment rate and lack of job opportunities across the country. “We are no longer going to delegate this responsibility to pensioners. The responsibility to take this country forward is upon us, but you cannot do that if you have no solutions," he said.
“we are no longer going to delegate responsibilitys to pensioners” Collen Malatji
— News Live SA (@newslivesa) August 5, 2023
“SG that Thulas Nxesi @NxesiThulas who is the minister of employment but it appears like he is minister of unemployment, I dont know when we are removing him but it's an urgent matter” pic.twitter.com/PXocJgenj6
Malatji also said Nxesi appeared to be the “minister of unemployment” instead of employment. "I don’t know when we are removing him but it’s an urgent matter," Malatji said.
"The President of the country Cyril Ramaphosa, responding to the issue of unemployment, employed a minister of employment who is becoming a minister of unemployment," Malatji said.
Malatji added that Nxesi was responding to the practical issues that the youth wanted to address.
The ANC said the youth league represented a strong body of opinion within their organisation and society towards the fulfilment of advancing the ideals of a democratic society and the development of young people.
However, it said the attack on the minister was regrettable and urged the youth league to refrain from such behaviour.
"Whilst the ANC encourages the youth league to robustly and outspokenly pursue the interests of young people, we urge that this should be done without denigrating personalities. Whilst we encourage an analysis of many issues confronting South Africans, we do not encourage insults on deployees who are seized with these issues," the party said.
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