Former DA MP Phumzile van Damme has weighed in on the debate around succession within the ANC, urging young people in the party to stand up and make their voices heard.
Van Damme was responding to a Sunday Times report that ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe claimed the call for younger leaders to take over the party may not at times be political, but part of the battle for access to resources.
“Change is happening around us. That’s why there is an outcry that says, ‘Let these old men go. Young people must take over’. Sometimes you can see it is a material demand, it’s not a political demand. It’s the stage we’re in,” Mantashe said.
Taking to social media, Van Damme said people in politics loved to make excuses to stay in power.
“People in my former career love to gatekeep and stay in positions until death or removal. At 70 using lame excuses to keep people half your age out? Let go. A mix of institutional knowledge and a lot of fresh ideas are needed to revitalise politics. Not the same old, same old.”
She encouraged the next generation of ANC leaders to fight for the party.
“Young people in the ANC, stand up and fight for your party. Amakhehla ne zalukazi zenu zin’moshile.”
‘Let go!’ — Phumzile Van Damme on Mantashe's ‘mosquitoes’ and youth leadership claims
‘Young people in the ANC, stand up and fight for your party’
Image: ESA ALEXANDER
Former DA MP Phumzile van Damme has weighed in on the debate around succession within the ANC, urging young people in the party to stand up and make their voices heard.
Van Damme was responding to a Sunday Times report that ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe claimed the call for younger leaders to take over the party may not at times be political, but part of the battle for access to resources.
“Change is happening around us. That’s why there is an outcry that says, ‘Let these old men go. Young people must take over’. Sometimes you can see it is a material demand, it’s not a political demand. It’s the stage we’re in,” Mantashe said.
Taking to social media, Van Damme said people in politics loved to make excuses to stay in power.
“People in my former career love to gatekeep and stay in positions until death or removal. At 70 using lame excuses to keep people half your age out? Let go. A mix of institutional knowledge and a lot of fresh ideas are needed to revitalise politics. Not the same old, same old.”
She encouraged the next generation of ANC leaders to fight for the party.
“Young people in the ANC, stand up and fight for your party. Amakhehla ne zalukazi zenu zin’moshile.”
Mantashe said the ANC had not only attracted upright citizens, but also those who want to use it to enrich themselves.
“An organisation that used to be underground has opened its doors. This is what the Chinese describe as opening doors for fresh air and mosquitoes to also come in.
“The ANC must appreciate it has opened that window, fresh air has come in and the ANC must realise mosquitoes have also come in. How do you deal with those mosquitoes? If [the ANC] doesn’t do that, obviously it will be in trouble.”
Mantashe has previously resisted calls for him to run for deputy president of the ANC and SA, saying he is too old for the job.
He told City Press in January the position requires someone who is “younger and more energetic”.
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