The Friends of the Youth League and the Cult of Personality

The launching of the Friends of the Youth League signals a turning point in the evolution of the ANCYL as a revolutionary and militant youth movement. In fact, it actually lays bare the cult of personality as represented by Julius Malema. This is the cult of personality that some of us have been bewailing about for some time now. The chief representative of the cult of personality has subjugated the ANCYL to his modus operandi, that of ensuring that members work for the cult instead of the organisation.

Like Stalin in the old Russia, the chief representative of the cult of personality has preached with fervent frequency a revolutionary mantra whilst turning some members of the ANCYL and ANC into something of a worshiping congregation that must do as he says without question. Like Stalin, he has used respected names of our revolutionary movement - Lembede, Mandela, Sisulu, Tambo - to cast himself as a representative of that which these leaders fought for.

If one cares to glance at the period that Stalin was in charge after Lenin died, there are certain things that we ought to learn from there so that we do not allow the cult of personality to destroy the ANC and ANCYL. The way that Russian people were gullible towards Stalin as their saviour par Lenin is an instructive lesson. To ever think that Stalin was the chief representative of Lenin's ideas was a fundamental mistake that Russian people still live to regret up to this day.

Just to illustrate their gullibility, one Russian author passionately penned the following: 

"Thank you, Stalin. Thank you because I am joyful. Thank you because I am well. No matter how old I become, I shall never forget how we received Stalin two days ago. Centuries will pass, and the generations still to come will regard us as the happiest of mortals, as the most fortunate of men, because we lived in the century of centuries, because we were privileged to see Stalin, our inspired leader...

The men of all ages will call on thy name, which is strong, beautiful, wise and marvelous. Thy name is engraven on every factory, every machine, every place on the earth, and in the hearts of all men.

Every time I have found myself in his presence I have been subjugated by his strength, his charm, his grandeur. I have experienced a great desire to sing, to cry out, to shout with joy and happiness...

I write books. I am an author. All thanks to thee, O great educator, Stalin. I love a young woman with a renewed love and shallblinded educator, Stalin. I shall be eternally happy and joyous, all thanks to thee, great educator, Stalin. Everything belongs to thee, chief of our great country. And when the woman I love presents me with a child the first word it shall utter will be: Stalin."

This is a striking example of a blind worshiper of a personality cult. His every being revolves around and is dependent on Stalin. In fact, to this author Stalin (not the Party) is a god-like figure that makes all things possible. What happened after Stalin had every Russian eating out of the palm of his hand remains one of the most tragic moments in the history of that country.

What we are facing in the personality cult of Julius might not be in the same scale as that of Stalin. However, his personality cult is as dangerous because he has remade the ANCYL in his own image. What have become primary are not the ANCYL's principles and struggles but Julius the cult. Now that Julius has been expelled by the ANC, comrades feel uncomfortably indebted to the cult, unable to extricate themselves from it because they have identified with it for so long that they almost feel part of it.

Like the above author some comrades profess their undying love for Julius than for the cause or the organisation. Some members of our society, like in Russia during Stalin's reign, write praising songs and books about him, design fashion clothing in his name, name their kids after him, and imbibe expensive liquor in thy name. Recently, some have launched an organisation in his name, albeit in disguise, calling it Friends of the Youth League (read Friend of Julius Malema).

It might very well be that there are those within both the ANCYL and the ANC that disagree with the decision of the ANC to expel Julius. Well, that is allowed in a democratic organisation like the ANC. If we had all accepted his expulsion without a single dissenting voice, I think that would have signalled something very wrong about the ANC. In fact it would have given credence to the claims of dictatorship in the ANC.

But to want to create organisational forms of dissenting opinions outside the ANC is a sure sign that there are those prepared to die with the Cult of Julius. Even with Stalin, there were those who were loyal to him to the bitter end. As members of the YL and ANC, we have to ask ourselves if we are prepared to destroy the ANC at the altar of a personality cult. This we must do honestly to interrogate the nature of our loyalty and commitment to the ANC.

I think many of us that at one stage or the other were sacrificed in the movement for the greater good of the ANC and people of South Africa - or know someone who was sacrificed in the movement for the greater good of the ANC and people South Africa - would know that hard choices are sometimes required of us by the ANC. In this case we have someone who has been effectively and duly found guilty of serious misconduct by the ANC. How difficult can it be to save the ANC from his personality cult?

Those responsible for launching Friends of the YL must know that they have created a parallel structure to the structures of the ANCYL and those of the ANC. We know they will from time to time seek to destabilise the movement by attempting to impose the ideas of this new structure over those of legitimate structures of the ANC. Members of the ANCYL and ANC should therefore be vigilant and close ranks in defence of the movement against the dangers posed by this cult.

We also need to be wary of those in the YL who pose as the defenders of Julius Malema. They are not being honest because they are secretly jostling for positions but want to appear to be defending him so that the general membership can see them as principled. They are the worst opportunists because whilst they know the truth about the damage that Julius has visited on the movement, they keep quiet whilst positioning themselves for powerful positions.

It is therefore up to all members of the ANC and ANCYL to expose the new Friends of the YL structure for what it is: a cult organisation designed to perpetuate anarchy and ruthlessness of the expelled chief representative of the cult, Julius Malema. It is our duty to do that otherwise we will live to regret what would follow if we let the cult of personality to permeate our movement. That is not a prophecy but a historical fact!  

Mzukisi Makaste is a member of the ANC and ANCYL. He writes in his personal capacity.

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