Outgoing Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa was urged to provide compelling reasons as to why he should remain in the ANC, the Young Communist League said on Wednesday.

"Individual members who are engaged in such wrongful activities, only demonstrate that they have reached a point of a lost confidence in the movement that deployed them to public office ... it is not sufficient to resign from a public deployment," said deputy secretary Phindile Kunene.

"It is equally wrong in the extreme to elevate an individual leader and pay allegiance to him at the expense of the unity and cohesion of our broader democratic movement," she said.

YCL Gauteng secretary Alex Mashilo said Shilowa's condemnation of former President Thabo Mbeki's recall and resignation was a gross misconduct against the ANC.

"We are not calling for his head, but he should explain why he has behaved in that manner."

"Unity is important. When constitutional structures make decisions, one has to abide by them," Mashilo said.

Kunene said the YCL in Gauteng welcomed Shilowa's resignation as he was a part of numerous projects that undermined the poor.

Kunene said the Igoli 2002 plan, Gautrain and Blue IQ projects did not favour the poor.

She said Shilowa had also failed to lessen the gap between private and public schools.

Mashilo however did not disclose who the YCL was backing to take over Shilowa's position.

"We are convening a special provincial executive meeting to discuss our preferred candidate today at 5.00pm," he said.

Sapa