Latest news with #MntuwoxoloNgudle
IOL News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
ANCYL warns of 'dual loyalties' after Citizenship Act declared unconstitutional
Citizenship is not just a legal formality; it's a commitment. The ANCYL urges South Africans to choose loyalty and engage in shaping a just, united nation through the constitutional process. Image: File The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has expressed its concern over the Constitutional Court ruling delivered on Tuesday, which declared Section 6(1)(a) of the South African Citizenship Act unconstitutional. This section previously required South Africans who voluntarily acquired foreign citizenship to automatically forfeit their South African citizenship unless they applied to retain it beforehand. ANCYL secretary general Mntuwoxolo Ngudle emphasised the importance of citizenship as more than an administrative status, underscoring its significance as a commitment to the country and its people. The Youth League's primary concern is that the ruling could create a situation where individuals with dual citizenship may not show the necessary loyalty and dedication to South Africa's future. "We are deeply concerned that this ruling opens the door to dual loyalties at a time when our country needs focused, active citizens committed to building a united, non-racial, and just South Africa. South Africans must decide: are you in or are you out? One cannot enjoy the privileges of being South African while pledging allegiance to another state," said Ngudle. He further expressed that citizenship must not be diluted, especially in light of the country's current socio-economic challenges. "National identity must be protected from dilution, especially when our socio-economic challenges require undivided loyalty and participation," he stated. The ANCYL also directed its criticism at the Democratic Alliance (DA), claiming that the party continues to serve the interests of foreign and elitist forces. Ngudle accused the DA of seeking to benefit those who exploit South African laws to avoid accountability. "Their actions once again expose who they are working for: those who exploit our laws to escape accountability and avoid real contribution to our national development." Responding to the ruling, the Youth League called for greater youth engagement in the ongoing constitutional review process.
IOL News
06-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
ANCYL criticises DA's court challenge to Employment Equity Act as a threat to transformation
The ANCYL condemns the DA's challenge to the Employment Equity Amendment Act, calling it an attack on South Africa's transformation efforts and a setback for racial justice and economic equity. Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has condemned the Democratic Alliance's (DA) legal challenge to the Employment Equity Amendment Act describing it as a direct attack on South Africa's constitutional values of redress and equality. This comes as the DA heads to the Pretoria High Court over the Employment Equity Amendment Act, threatening to reignite tensions within the already fragile Government of National Unity (GNU). The DA claims the Act, which introduces sector-specific equity targets, will damage the economy and impose rigid national race quotas in the workplace. In a statement, the ANCYL accused the DA of attempting to reverse the gains of transformation and racial justice by seeking to have the Act declared unconstitutional. The party's application targets Section 15A and the Minister of Employment and Labour's authority to set sector-specific equity targets, provisions the Youth League says are central to correcting historical injustice. 'This Act is not about quotas, it is about justice. It is about correcting decades of deliberate exclusion of black people, women, and persons with disabilities from meaningful economic participation,' said ANCYL Secretary General Mntuwoxolo Ngudle. The Youth League pointed to ongoing disparities in the labour market, citing the 2023 Commission for Employment Equity report, which shows that white South Africans, who make up less than 8% of the population, still occupy over 60% of top management roles in the private sector. At the same time, nearly 60% of black youth between the ages of 15 and 34 remain unemployed, compared to under 10% of white youth, according to 2024 data from Stats SA. Ngudle added, 'The DA's arguments that the Act violates the dignity of those not 'preferred' are not only legally flawed but morally bankrupt. Dignity cannot be used as a shield to preserve inequality.'
