13 January 2025, Johannesburg, Braamfontein
The Young Communist League of South Africa (Ufasimba) unequivocally condemns the deplorable and reckless attack launched by Collen Malatji, President of the ANC Youth League, against the General Secretary of the South African Communist Party, Comrade Solly Mapaila. This act of opportunism, displayed at the Mokaba Memorial Lecture on Friday the 10th of January, is not only an insult but also a betrayal of the revolutionary principles of Comrade Peter Mokaba, a freedom fighter who fought side-by-side with Comrade Solly Mapaila in the trenches of the struggle.
These attacks by the ANCYL President on Comrade Mapaila is not a critique grounded in ideological substance; but a desperate cry of a leader without solutions of the unprecedented plight that currently confronts young people of South Africa, and thus clinging to insults as a substitute for relevance, exposing him for what he is - a hollow figurehead, a theoretical lightweight masquerading around believing he is a youth leader. His antics are a cautionary tale of what happens when ambition outpaces ideological clarity and substance.
The ANCYL's credibility will not be restored through baseless insults directed at the SACP's General Secretary. Instead, it requires a committed focus on addressing the real concerns of young people, such as land reform, access to quality education, employment opportunities, and healthcare. It's truly pathetic that a political jester, juggling empty slogans and worn-out talking points, dares to lambast a revolutionary with the credentials of Solly Mapaila all while under his leadership the brand of the ANCYL is dwindling, much like a deflated balloon left behind after a forgotten celebration.
The decision of our Party to contest the 2026 local government elections independently has been a position of the YCLSA since 2005 and became the SACP's 15th National Congress resolution, which has been reaffirmed by the 5th Special National Congress in December 2024. In no particular manner shall the YCLSA allow any factional attempts to isolate our General Secretary. Comrade Solly Mapaila is correctly representing the Party's positions.
The YCLSA will not be distracted by these antics. While the ANCYL wastes its time on baseless attacks on the leaders of the SACP, we will remain steadfast in our focus: mobilizing young people to confront the structural crises of high youth unemployment, inequality, and poverty; educating youth in the principles of Marxism-Leninism; and agitating for systemic change to dismantle the capitalist system that perpetuates their suffering. We will not be distracted by the tantrums of a political man-child. The revolution will not be televised, and it certainly will not be led by political mercenaries.
State Power for Socialism!
Long live the SACP!
Aluta Continua!
Issued by YCLSA
National Secretary- Mzwandile Thakhudi
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