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(ZIMBABWE GUARDIAN) ANC leadership rallies behind Malema

ANC leadership rallies behind Malema
By: M&G-TZG
Posted: Friday, April 16, 2010 3:41 pm

MEMBERS of the ANC's top leadership has backed ANC Youth League president Julius Malema over his comments on Zimbabwe and for ejecting a BBC reporter from the ANC offices were the youth leader was holding a press conference. The leadership is also planning to take President Jacob Zuma to task over his public scolding of the youth leader.

The Mail & Guardian newspaper of South Africa reports that at Monday’s national working committee meeting of the ANC, Malema’s supporters will tell Mr Zuma that he was wrong to criticise Malema in public.

Mr Zuma and is also criticized for criticising Malema when he expressed support for Zanu-PF, a party that helped the ANC during South Africa's fight against apartheid.

It is understood that the committee members who are unhappy with Zuma's public reprimand include Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula and ANC national treasurer Mathews Phosa.

Others expected to support them include Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane, Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda and NEC member Tony Yengeni.

Some of Malema's backers argue that Zuma's criticism was coloured by Cosatu's claim that some leaders ­-- implying the Malema-Mbalula axis -- are planning to topple Zuma at the ANC's 2012 conference.

Despite reports of an anti-Malema demonstration at last weekend's Youth League conference in Limpopo, the league is said to be solidly behind its president in the current row.

League spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said Zuma's public stance had surprised him. The league had agreed with ANC officials after an incident in which the league publicly attacked ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe last year that leaders should refrain from open mutual recrimination.

"We were not aware that Zuma can condemn any leader of the ANC in public," said Shivambu.

A Youth League leader in Gauteng, who asked to remain anonymous, was scathing in his condemnation of Zuma, saying he should be reminded that Malema had risked his credibility on several occasions to defend him.

"Zuma has committed so many mistakes but Malema has always defended him. We treated him as one of our own."

He said Malema had come to the president's defence in situations where he sometimes "appeared ­indefensible".

"Take Zuma’s extramarital affair with Sonono Khoza -- Julius stood by him throughout. When he wanted to resign at the last ANC national ­general council, the youth league stood by him.

"Where does he get the moral high ground to address Malema the way he did? There are avenues in the ANC to do this."

He said that Malema was a good leader who lacked effective advisers. "He raises crucial issues that no one in the ANC has raised before [but] he does not have good strategists who can put the issues into context. People who bring him down are those who hang around him.

"We're not saying Julius is the messiah. If people believe he is a monster, they created him as one. It cannot be that, because things are now going well for JZ [Zuma], Julius is the ­villain."

The youth league insists none of the potential charges against Malema will stick. It argues that the youth league delegation had visited Zimbabwe with Zuma's blessing and "he should have told them not to go if he didn’t want them to" and the offending song had been sung outside South Africa.

League leaders also defended Malema's verbal attack on Fisher and his expulsion from the conference, saying that the journalist had provoked him by calling him "a moron". Despite this, he had realised his mistake and publicly stated that he regretted the incident. Also, he could not be expected to keep quiet when he was being blamed for the murder of Terre'Blanche.

Malema in an accident

Meanwhile, Malema was involved in a car accident this week that he and his close associates believe was an assassination attempt.

Malema's car sustained serious damage in the accident and that his bodyguards have been replaced.

The accident, between Hammanskraal and Pretoria, took place while Malema was being transported in his Range Rover by members of the police VIP protection unit on Monday, police spokesperson Vish Naidoo confirmed to the M&G.

Malema was travelling with two VIP police protection guards on his way back to Johannesburg from the ANC Youth League conference in Polokwane when the accident occurred.

The accident was caused by a tyre bursting, Naidoo said. No injuries were reported.

Malema believes the accident was an attempt on his life, according to a youth league leader who did not want to be named.

The two VIP police guards with Malema at the time of the accident have since been replaced because Malema no longer trusts them.

Labels: ANC, ASSASSINATION, JULIUS MALEMA

posted by MrK @ 9:00 PM