Durban - The ANC Youth League in KwaZulu-Natal says that it is concerned about the “wishy-washy” position that the African National Congress had taken on the issue of land as the youth league was clear on seeking expropriation without compensation.
This was the message of Kwazi Mshengu, the Youth League’s provincial chairperson, while delivering the Youth League’s message of support to over a thousand ANC delegates from KwaZulu-Natal attending the party’s 8th KwaZulu-Natal provincial conference.
The provincial conference is currently underway at the Durban University of Technology’s at the Steve Biko campus hall.
He said that the ANC should not fear what people were going to say if section 25 of the Constitution is changed should not be the concern of a revolutionary party as a revolutionary party should always stand on the side of the people.
“We respect the King on the issue of land, but the ANC’s position on the land must be clear and that the land should benefit the people and the ANC should be clear on its position on the land with the King,” Mshengu said.
Cosatu in the province also weighed in on the contentious issue of the Ingonyama Trust with the union’s new provincial chairperson Skhumbuzo Mdlalose questioning who the people that King Goodwill Zwelithini owns the land on behalf were.
“1994 was not a revolutionary takeover and there was a flirtation between traditional leadership and the revolutionary forces, so that flirtation has continued and when the King is annoyed we have to go and bow before him,” Mdlalose.
He said that feudal relations would never survive in a capitalist environment because there would always be a conflict because “if the King owns the land and proclaiming that he owns the land on behalf of the people who are those people?
“How directly related are they to that particular land? We must discuss that thing and be able to say that the issue of political elitism and traditional elitism should be stopped and it is the workers and the rank and file, the so-called subjects of the King themselves must rise up against elitism in traditional leadership,” Mdlalose said.
“When you talk about wanting to expropriate land without compensation it sounds like a radical and revolutionary statement but on the other side you down tone and say we must be careful of food security and we must not tamper with food security.
“We already know that the food industry is not controlled by the majority of our people, already 15 million of our people are food insecure. When you talk about food security which food security are you talking about because the majority of our people are already food insecure,” said Mdlalose.
He added that there was no sovereignty in terms of food control and production and that the alliance should fight against overdependence of food production from “outside producers”.
“We must localise, beneficiate and be able to ensure that we create employment opportunities here in South Africa,” Mdlalose said.