ANC, Malema to discuss racially charged comments

JOHANNESBURG - ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's racial outburst at a student rally will be taken up with him by the ANC, the party said on Wednesday.

Spokesman Ishmael Mnisi said the party would "engage" with Malema on the statements he made on Tuesday, during its regular contact with the league.

"We are always in contact with the youth league, we will continue talking to them... even in this instance we would engage with them," he said,

Malema, according to the Sowetan, led students at the University of Johannesburg in a song saying: "Shoot the boere [farmers], they

are rapists."

He told students that former president Nelson Mandela had

convinced blacks to forgive, but they should never forget what was

done to them.

Mnisi said the African National Congress did not promote racist

utterances.

"We wouldn't appreciate any statements against any member of our

society, including whites... they are also South Africans," he

said, adding that the Freedom Charter said South Africa belonged to

all who live in it.

Malema also lashed Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille for

demolishing churches in the Western Cape.

"Helen Zille, who is suffering from Satanism, has gone all out

to demolish the churches in the Western Cape. She is exposing

herself... people there will know they voted for a monster."

Independent Democrats leader Patricia De Lille was not spared

either.

"This Patricia who goes around saying I owe SARS [SA Revenue

Service], she must get her facts properly.

"She must go and build her own family and be concerned about the

taxes of her husband.

"If she has got a husband. Patricia doesn't look like a married

woman. There's no normal man who can marry Patricia. If Patricia

has got a husband, that husband must divorce Patricia and come and

look for well mannered and beautiful women in the ANC."

Mnisi said opposition parties should not be on the receiving end

of derogatory statements.

"All that we are saying is that any derogatory, undermining

statement whether to opposition parties or our own people, we

disapprove of them," he said.

Malema targeted mining tycoon Nicky Oppenheimer who supported

government's stance which opposed the ANCYL's desire to see the

country's mines nationalised.

He said Oppenheimer was only looking after the interests of his

family, adding: "... We must take from Nicky Oppenheimer's family

and give to the people of South Africa."

Malema pronounced on the ANC's 2012 succession race, saying President Jacob Zuma was guaranteed to return in his position when the party elects new leadership.

Last year, at a Congress of SA Trade Unions conference, Zuma urged ANC and alliance members to refrain from pronouncing on the 2012 elective conference.

Mnisi echoed this. He said it was "premature" for any ANC leader to discuss succession now.

"... We reiterate what we said before, we will encourage succession debate at the appropriate time... we continue to remind and plead with comrades that it's not yet time to talk about the succession debate."

- Sapa