![Ramaphosa Calls On ANCYL To Recruit Young Voters And Tackle Youth Unemployment-SurgeZirc SA](https://surgezirc.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Ramaphosa.png)
President Cyril Ramaphosa has tasked the newly elected ANC Youth League (ANCYL) leadership with devising strategies to entice young people to vote for the party in 2024.
Ramaphosa was speaking at the 26th ANCYL conference, which was held over the weekend at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg.
Collen Malatji was chosen unopposed as president of the ANCYL on Saturday after Aphiwe Mkhangelwa declined nomination from the floor.
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Phumzile Mgcina, Mntuwoxolo Ngudle, Tsakani Shiviti, and Zwelo Masilela were chosen as deputy president, secretary-general, deputy-secretary general, and treasurer-general, respectively, on Malatji’s slate.
Ramaphosa told delegates on Sunday night that the ANCYL must become more appealing to young people in lead to next year’s national elections.
The ANC president stated that the youth league’s major mission in the near future would be to mobilise for the ruling party’s election victory.
“You must rebuild the ANCYL and adhere to the policies of the ANC, you are required to mobilise for the decisive victory of the ANC. The ANC is optimistic that now that there is an elected leadership of the ANCYL, there will be new impetus and drive to mobilise young people on behalf of our movement.”
The ANC president further emphasised that the revitalization of youth structures represented the ruling party’s larger purpose of rebuilding and renewing itself.
“Without a militant, vibrant and disciplined youth movement that is responsive to the needs of young people, the ANC may eventually lose the ability to grow and renew itself.”
Ramaphosa also encouraged the ruling party’s youth section to address the “ticking time bomb” of rising youth unemployment.
“This newly elected leadership will lead young people at a time when the cost of living is high and unemployment, in particular, youth unemployment, is unacceptably high. More than 11 million people are unemployed in our country,” the ANC president said.
He went on to say that the youth were “right” in demanding that the government be more active, systematic, and urgent in solving the unemployment crisis.
“This ANC government recognised that the state has a pivotal role to play in directly creating employment and other economic opportunities.
“That is why we established the presidential employment stimulus, which has to date created employment and livelihood opportunities for more than a million people. We are aware that more must be done and look forward to engaging with the contributions of the youth league on this and other job creation initiatives.”