This comes in the wake of a cancelled media briefing scheduled for Thursday (2/10), at the Kaizer Sebothelo building in Bloemfontein, where Ancyl provincial secretary Jackson Mthembu was expected to address the public.

In a leaked statement following the cancellation, Mthembu did not hold back in his criticism of the leadership within the ANC. He lambasted the PEC, comparing them to irresponsible parents and even a “deadbeat father”, for failing to meet with the Ancyl leadership almost a year after the provincial congress.

“They carry themselves as though the youth league is an afterthought, despite repeated attempts by the league to secure a meeting,” Mthembu said.

“We were handed a deputy secretary, comrade Dibolelo Mance, who has no understanding that the Ancyl is an organ of the ANC itself. She is perpetually unavailable, and when finally reached, claims she has assisted Cosas and cannot assist Ancyl. This is the conduct of a lost soul, detached from both responsibility and consciousness.”

The province’s economic situation has immensely frustrated the young people. The youth unemployment rate in Free State has reached alarming levels. Key issues highlighted in the statement include that seven out of ten young people aged 15 to 24 are unemployed. 

Nearly half of those aged 24 to 34 are also without work. Over 280,000 individuals under the age of 35 are trapped in a cycle of hopelessness. Mthembu emphasised that Free State has the highest youth unemployment rate in the country, with more than 442,000 young people not engaged in education, employment, or training.

“The province’s economy grows at less than one percent,” Mthembu added, describing the situation in the province as a crisis.

The Ancyl has been vocal about the province’s failing municipalities. Maluti-a-Phofung is dealing with sewage overflows and water shortages, Matjhabeng is burdened with massive debt, and Masilonyana struggles with frequent power and water outages.

Mthembu accused the ANC of entrenched corruption at all levels of governance, citing inflated contracts, ghost projects, and payments for undelivered goods as common practice in the province.

He didn’t hold back in his criticism of the ANC’s leadership, describing the party in the province as being “littered with reactionaries, dead weight, and parasites who are dangerous to the revolution”.

The Free State has no premier and no ANC PEC worthy of the name, Mthembu declared. “Both must fall. We will not be pacified by speeches. We will not be silenced by spin. We will not be bribed with crumbs. 

“We will mobilise, we will organise, and we will fight until this province belongs once again to its people. The wealth of the Free State belongs to the youth and the poor, not corrupt elites. The time for illusions is over. The premier must resign. The PEC must be disbanded. The youth will lead the fight for dignity, work, and justice.”

Behind the scenes, tensions within the party were palpable. Mthembu acknowledged in a WhatsApp group that the statement intended for the canceled briefing had leaked to the public.

“Comrades, the statement that was supposed to be presented has leaked. It’s understood that the briefing was cancelled after instructions not to proceed with media engagement,” he said

It’s understood that the Ancyl felt their concerns were being ignored, especially after a march in June to Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae’s offices that had yielded no results.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi cvs