ANCYL’s Airlink Flyover-Inspired Poster Sparks Social Media Backlash
- The ANC Youth League circulated a poster featuring jets in ANC colours flying over a stadium to mark its 82nd anniversary
- The imagery appeared to reference the viral DHL Stadium flyover during the Springboks vs All Blacks match in Cape Town
- A source inside the ANCYL said the organisation was caught off guard by the wave of criticism the poster received online
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Source: Getty Images
SOUTH AFRICA - The ANC Youth League found itself at the centre of online mockery after releasing promotional material for its 82nd anniversary celebrations that borrowed heavily from the DHL Stadium flyover moment that captivated South Africa during the Springboks and All Blacks clash in Cape Town.
The widely shared poster showed two passenger jets branded in ANC colours flying low over what appeared to be a stadium. The graphic carried the message: "82 years of youth activism, struggle, service and political education."
Many social media users were quick to connect the poster's imagery to the celebrated Airllink flyover, and they were not impressed.
ANCYL caught off guard by backlash
According to The Citizen, a source inside the ANCYL said the organisation's members were genuinely surprised by the volume of criticism the poster attracted. The youth league had seemingly hoped the visual would generate excitement ahead of the anniversary programme, but the response online was sharply negative.
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Some users went further by creating their own spoof versions of the poster and sharing them widely.
The ANCYL's anniversary celebrations are set to kick off on 10 September with the Anton Lembede Memorial Lecture in the North West. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula is expected to deliver an address at the event. A larger official rally is planned for October in the Eastern Cape, though a venue has not yet been confirmed.
Once regarded as one of the ANC's most powerful internal structures, the ANCYL has seen its influence steadily erode in recent years, shaped by factional disputes and a broader decline in support for the governing party.
Mzansi fires back online
South Africans on social media had plenty to say:
@mukovhedama wrote:
"The plane ✈️ won't take off because they will loot the fuel ⛽️ money for the aeroplane ✈️"
@ConCaracal said:
"Is there a more quintessential ANC-move than shamelessly appropriating and claiming credit for the achievements of others?"
@tshepom619 shared:
"Surfed through the comments hoping to see a comment from at least 1 ANCYL supporter… RIP"
@UncleG0202 wrote:
"Trust the ANC to confiscate anything good our country has for their own selfish agendas"
@zekewareley asked:
"Why didn't you use a photo of one of your broken stadiums in one of the many poorly-run ANC cities/towns?"
Gayton McKenzie receives backlash for Airlink post
Previously, Briefly News reported that another politician received backlash for trying to capitalise of the flyover contorversy. Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie set tongues wagging after posting a cryptic message on X on 2 September 2026, hinting that something big is in the works with Airlink. His post, which read "We are cooking something", comes just days after one of the most talked-about spectacles in recent South African sporting history. South Africans were unimpressed by the message.
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Source: Briefly News
