ANC STATEMENT ON THE STANCE OF THE ANC YOUTH LEAGUE ON BOTSWANA AND AFRICAN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTIONS
The African National Congress (ANC) would like to totally reject and publicly rebuke the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) on its extremely thoughtless and embarrassing pronouncements on "regime change" in Botswana and the so called, "veering off the African agenda by the African Union (AU) together with the Southern African Development Community (SADC)."
The statement by the ANCYL that it will establish a "Botswana Command Team which will work towards uniting all opposition forces in Botswana to oppose the puppet regime of Botswana led by the Botswana Democratic Party, - and that BDP led Botswana is a foot stool of imperialism, a security threat to Africa and always under constant puppetry of the United States", is a total deviation and an affront to the ANC policies.
This insult and disrespect to the President (Honourable Ian Khama), the government and the people of Botswana and a threat to destabilize and effect regime change in Botswana is a clear demonstration that the ANCYL's ill discipline has clearly crossed the political line. The ANC has no policy of effecting regime changes anywhere in the continent and or in the world, and therefore it is totally unimaginable that the Youth League of the ANC can even think of such, let alone lead and put such in the public domain.
We want to remind the ANCYL leadership and its membership of Article F of the ANCYL constitution, which states that the ANCYL, is a mass organ of the ANC that function as an autonomous body (not independent) within the overall structure of the ANC which it is an integral part. The ANCYL's life and body politic is based on the political and ideological objectives of the ANC.
It is not the political and ideological objective of the ANC to undermine any African leader, government or leadership institutions. The ANC has very good relations with the government and the people of Botswana, forged over many years of our liberation struggle and we continue strengthen these relations towards our common goals of reconstruction and development of our respective countries.
We have full appreciation that if it were not for Botswana, including many other countries in the region, continent and the world, South Africa would not be enjoying the freedom and democracy today.
The ANC respects Botswana's sovereignty and its strong democracy. We also respect the freedom and the right of the Batswana to elect their own government. We equally respect the choice of the people of Botswana to be governed by the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
Contrary to the perception of the ANCYL, the African Union (AU) and South African Development Community (SADC) are strong and continue to discharge their functions with distinction, particularly as it relates to advancing the African Agenda.
Contrary to their observations, these two organisations are not in decline; instead they remain in the forefront of continental peace and security efforts from Zimbabwe and Madagascar, to Somalia and Sudan, as well Libya and Ivory Coast.
This African leadership can also be seen in the endeavours to create free trade areas between the SADC, Community Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and East African Community (EAC) as well as on the NEPAD Infrastructure Project, particularly the Presidential North-South Corridor championed by President Jacob Zuma that is aimed at enhancing trade, infrastructure and economic development in the continent.
We also regret that on Libya and the Ivory Coast, the ANCYL still do not understand the complexity of the situations in the two countries and the differences between them, as well as the steps that our governments have taken individually and collectively within the UN and as part of the AU.
We encourage the new leadership of the ANCYL to familiarise themselves with the facts relating to these two countries, especially the relevant UN resolutions, AU decisions, as well as government information that has been put at their disposal.
While we encourage all progressive forces in our country to play an active role on the continent, it is however not in the culture of the ANC to destabilise our neighbours. We have very good relations (both at party-to-party and government levels) with all our neighbours including Botswana, which we can always use to exchange information and advise each other.
We respect the sovereignity of our neighbours and all other countries. We therefore encourage the YL to work with the ANC in this regard.
Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, ANC national spokesperson, August 1 2011
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