The DA Youth notes the flagging by the Auditor General of irregular expenditure with respect to the World Festival of Youth and Students held by the NYDA in December 2010. NYDA CEO, Steven Ngubeni, an ANC YL deployee who earns the same as a national cabinet minister from the state agency, stated at the release of the AG’s report today that, “We believe we are close to laying the matter of the World Festival to rest”.
The DA Youth would like to assert that we will never allow the matter to be laid to rest. It is absolutely unacceptable that R106 million of taxpayers’ money, meant to help young South Africans, was spent by a government agency on an ANC YL event.
The festival, which was widely reported as a chaotic week-long party for totalitarian youth organisations, was an ANC YL event that the NYDA had no business being involved with, let alone funding. This represents a massive conflation between party and state – a constitutional principal that seems to hold no weight with the NYDA. The biggest losers are, once again, the youth of South Africa, whose unemployment figures continue to spiral whilst the NYDA spends the money intended to help them on a party political agenda.
The NYDA repeatedly denies that this was an ANC YL event, but the evidence is damming;
In February 2010, the ANC YL publicly announced:
“The African National Congress Youth League delegation left for Lebanon today, the 4th of February 2010 to attend the General Council of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY). The delegation will in the General Council present the ANC Youth League bid for South Africa to host the 17th World Festival of Youth and Students in December 2010.”
Then, after the ANC Youth League’s bid had been successful, they announced:
“As National General Council, we express the ANC Youth League and South Africa’s readiness to host the 17th World Festival for Youth and Students in December this year.”
And in October 2010, Julius Malema said:
“It is a great honour and privilege for the Youth of South Africa, in particular the youth of the African National Congress to be hosts of the 17th World Festival for Youth and Students.”
The DA Youth will not let this matter rest until the R106 million has been returned to and spent on its rightful owners, the South African public.
Enquiries:
Makashule Gana
Federal Youth Leader
082 773 4755
Aimee Franklin
National Youth Director
072 232 0127
5 Comments to “DA Youth will not “lay the matter of the World Festival to rest””
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anele xhati says:
i wonder what is the process that unfolded towards the allocation of such a large sum of money, it is anarchy and they should account!
Nigel says:
Well done DAYL – keep up the pressure at all costs. I would love to see the ANCYL be forced to pay back at least a portion. It seems they get taught the corruption ‘tricks’ very early. It no wonder the average man on the street cannot trust politicians.
leah knott says:
interesting how the anc yl take it upon themselves to assume that they represent the youth of south africa. Surely a delegation to the world federation of democratic youth should be a diverse group consisting of members from all our youth parties and various other individuals? How these people can sleep at night after wasting such a vast amount of money whilst so many people are fighting to make ends meet is beyond me. I for one do not support their conduct especially at the expense of our youth who so desperately need it for more valid and purposeful reasons.
Makatisane Papo says:
I strongly belief that if the youth development can be depolitised we will achieve a lot, I don’t understand why should we politicise a youth agency with people who can’t define a youth development in a South African contexted. Its suprising that the CEO of NYDA said they need more funding even 1 billion will not be enough while a young people can’t even see the importance of a youth agency because it serves interested of the indiviuals.
mmanoko manoko says:
we talk, deny and scream, without us having a deplomatic way of winning vulnerable public lot of unecessary expense are coming. Democracy is stupid there, majority vote 1person or 50NYDA commit take decisions 4u. Its up to a leader of a opposition to strategise and stop talking.