Alex Fox leads ANCYL revival as Central Karoo youth organise again.
Image: Supplied
In a time when many young South Africans are losing faith in politics, something important has quietly taken root in the Central Karoo.
For more than nine years, the African National Congress Youth League in our region was absent as an organised, functioning voice of the youth. During that time, a generation of young people grew up facing unemployment, limited opportunities, and the feeling that no one was speaking for them in a structured, political way.
That has now changed.
On 27 March 2026, we successfully convened the ANCYL Central Karoo Regional Congress. It was not just a conference. It was a moment of renewal, unity, and commitment. It marked the return of young people organising themselves with purpose, discipline and a shared vision for the future.
What makes this moment significant is not only that leadership was elected. It is that we chose unity over division. There were no contested positions, no public infighting, no fragmentation. Instead, there was a collective understanding that the task ahead is bigger than individuals. The task is to rebuild.
As someone born and raised in Beaufort West, I understand what it means to grow up in a town where opportunities are limited and where young people often feel forgotten. Like many others, I did not wait for opportunity to come to me. I started building from where I was.
Through my work as an entrepreneur in the events and management space, I have seen firsthand the energy, creativity and potential that exists among young people in the Central Karoo. What is often missing is not talent — it is structure, coordination and access.
That is where the Youth League must play its role.
Alex Fox with Ambassador Of China to South Africa Wu Peng.
Image: Supplied
The ANCYL must not be a structure that only appears during elections. It must be present in communities, in schools, in local economies and in the daily lives of young people. It must organise, educate, mobilise and create pathways for participation.
We are also very clear about the values that must guide us.
We are a generation that believes in non-racialism not as a slogan, but as a lived reality. In the Central Karoo, young people from different backgrounds are coming together not because it is fashionable, but because it is necessary. The challenges we face — unemployment, inequality, lack of opportunity — do not discriminate. Neither can we.
We are inspired by the legacy of Nelson Mandela, but we also understand that legacy must be renewed in practice. It is not enough to speak about unity; we must build it. It is not enough to speak about transformation; we must drive it from the ground up.
The renewal of the ANCYL in our region is therefore not about positions. It is about purpose.
The newly elected Regional Executive Committee carries a serious responsibility. Our task is to rebuild branches, grow membership, strengthen political education, and ensure that the Youth League becomes a meaningful force in the lives of young people again.
We must also contribute to the broader renewal of the ANC. Young people are not only participants in the movement — we are its future custodians. If we do not take responsibility for rebuilding it with integrity, discipline and service, then we fail not only ourselves, but future generations.
We are under no illusions. The challenges are real. Trust in institutions is low. Many young people are disengaged. But this is precisely why renewal matters.
In the Central Karoo, we are choosing a different path.
We are choosing organisation over apathy.
We are choosing unity over division.
We are choosing action over complaint.
From Beaufort West to Prince Albert, from Laingsburg to Murraysburg, young people are beginning to organise again. They are stepping forward, not waiting to be invited.
This is not the end of a process. It is the beginning.
The real work starts now.
And we are ready.
* Alex Fox is the ANC Youth League's Regional Secretary for the Central Karoo region.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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