Youth league’s message of support too late to be printed in centenary booklet

THE ANC Youth League’s message of support reached the printers too late to be included in the ANC’S centenary support message booklet, ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu said yesterday.

“You cannot print what you do not have. Comrade Jessie Duarte tried her best, but it missed the printing,” said Mthembu.

He said the ANC received all except the ANC Women’s League and ANCYL messages by the January 3 deadline.

However, ANCYL spokesman Floyd Shivambu said that as far as he understood, no request was made for a message in a booklet.

Shivambu declined to discuss the matter further, saying only that the “booklet issue” was probably an oversight in the ANC’S communication section.

The ANC indicated before the centenary celebrations that no messages of support would be delivered at the January 8 (Sunday) event at the Free State Stadium.

Party president Jacob Zuma would be the only speaker and the usual messages of support, by the leagues and the alliance partners, would be included in a booklet to be distributed.

The women’s league and the ANCYL were then apparently asked to make their messages available before January 4, when the booklet was scheduled to be printed.

Mthembu said the ANCWL submitted a written message, but that the message was ready only on January 4. The printer was called to try to include the ANCYL message, but it was too late.

The booklet contains the full statement of the ANC national executive committee for the centenary celebration and messages of support from the ANCWL, ANC Veterans’ League, the SACP, Cosatu and the SA National Civic Organisation.

The ANCYL issued a statement to the media on Sunday containing its message of support. – Sapa