SA has a lot to learn from Zim - Malema

News 24

15 October, 2012

Cape Town - Expelled ANC Youth League president Julius Malema has praised Zimbabwe as an inspiration to Africa, saying South Africa has a lot to learn from that country, a report said on Monday.

According to Herald online, Malema who travelled to Zimbabwe last week to attend the wedding of Zanu-PF youth league members said the country was "wholly independent and divested itself of external control".

"We are coming here to Zimbabwe not because we are running away from problems, but to come and gain strength because what you have achieved is an inspiration to Africa.

"Don’t listen to imperialist newspapers. You have achieved a lot. You are running your own country, you have been managing your own affairs and you are not controlled by foreigners. That is what we need in South Africa.

"So we came here just to seek an inspiration and wisdom so that when we go home, we can double the spirit of fighting against imperialist forces.’"

Malema said the African struggle was not ambiguous as it had clear, set goals.

"Our struggle is a defined struggle. We are not a lost generation. We are asking what belongs to us. We are not asking for any favour neither are we victimising anybody."

Future generation

He said the youths in South Africa were calling for whites to surrender land and minerals resources they hold because "when they came from Europe they did not carry any land into South Africa.

"What we are asking is for them to surrender our minerals because they did not come with any mineral. We want that land and those minerals for free because they never paid for those minerals."

He continued: "Actually they killed people to get that land and those minerals. We are not going to give them money when we take the land back because it will be like we are thanking them with money for killing our people. We will never do that, little did they know that we are not scared of blood.

"We are scared of defeat. We don’t want to be defeated but seeing blood is not what we are scared of as long as that blood delivers what belongs to us we are prepared to go to that extent. Because it cannot be generations before us, which has failed to deliver what rightfully belongs to us and we equally fail the future generation. We want to be remembered as a generation of economic freedom fighters.”

Malema said the youths would want to be remembered as a generation that delivered land and that delivered mineral resources to the indigenous people.

Malema who was ousted by the ANC leadership early this year, said he will never run away from problems he is facing in South Africa and was in Zimbabwe to gain strength to double his fight against ‘imperialists’ back home.\

© News24, 2012