“People Don’t Believe Us Anymore”: ANC Youth League Tears Into Party’s Crisis of Credibility

Collen Malatji pulls no punches in scathing call for moral renewal inside the ANC

By all accounts, the mood was supposed to be celebratory at the President’s Jazz Hour gathering in East London. Instead, it turned into an unexpected moment of reckoning when ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji stood up and turned the mirror on his own party.

In a speech that landed more like a warning siren than a rallying cry, Malatji declared what many South Africans have been whispering for years: the ANC is no longer trusted by the people it claims to represent. “No one believes anything the ANC says anymore,” he said bluntly. “The ANC has become a symbol of corruption, broken promises, and failed service delivery.”

A Party Losing Its Moral Authority

Malatji’s message was not just political; it was personal. Speaking to fellow party members and community leaders, he acknowledged that the ANC’s problems aren’t just about governance, they’re about character.

“If the integrity of the messenger is in question, no one will believe the message,” he said. “Even if you put someone known in their village as a criminal in office and say they’re fighting crime, people will laugh at you. They know the truth.”

It’s a brutal truth that South Africans across provinces like Gauteng, Limpopo, and the Eastern Cape have echoed in recent years, as trust in the ruling party continues to plummet. What’s different now is that these words aren’t coming from opposition benches or angry protesters—they’re coming from within.

‘The People Can Remove Us Any Day’

Malatji’s remarks come as the ANC faces fresh internal fractures over leadership succession, allegations of gatekeeping in branch structures, and resistance to reform from some entrenched leaders. He said the crisis of credibility has become so deep that even ANC members doubt one another once they step outside party lines.

“We only believe each other when we’re wearing ANC shirts,” he said. “But when we leave the room, even we don’t believe what we’re saying.”

It was a rare moment of candour, especially as the party gears up for upcoming local and national elections. Malatji didn’t mince words: voters are no longer bound by historical loyalty.

“We no longer have that luxury,” he warned. “The people of South Africa have told us: we can take you out of power any day. We love you, but self-correct.”

Veterans, Youth Call for Renewal

Malatji’s urgent call aligns with growing discontent within the ANC Veterans League, which has been pushing for reform and a cleanup of corrupt structures. While the veterans bring institutional memory, the Youth League brings raw honesty and generational impatience. And now, their warnings are starting to sound remarkably similar.

The unspoken tension? Whether the party’s top brass is actually listening or just waiting out the storm.

Social Media Reaction: A Mixed Bag of Applause and Skepticism

As clips of Malatji’s speech circulated online, reactions were swift. Some users praised his bravery, calling him “one of the few voices of conscience” in the ANC. Others were less forgiving. “Too little, too late,” one user posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Where was this energy when the looting started?”

Still, Malatji’s comments sparked a vital public conversation. Can a political movement recover if it no longer has the moral trust of its base? And more importantly, who within the ANC will take that question seriously?

Beyond Slogans: A Call to Action

Malatji didn’t offer glitzy slogans or blame external forces. He offered a gut-check: if the ANC wants to survive, it must stop talking about renewal and start acting like it means it. “It’s not just political,” he said. “It’s moral.”

In a country battling load shedding, collapsing municipalities, and widespread corruption fatigue, those words might just resonate far beyond the walls of East London’s community halls.

{Source: IOL}

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