Maravi

(HERALD, REUTERS) Violent pro-Malema demos rock SA

COMMENT - It is also clear that REUTERS and it's trillionaire owners view Julius Malema and his call for nationalisation, a direct threat to their continued ownershiop of South Africa's gold and diamond mines.

Violent pro-Malema demos rock SA
Wednesday, 31 August 2011 02:00

JOHANNESBURG - AS South Africa's governing African National Congress convened a hearing on allegations of indiscipline against ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, police outside were battling with rowdy and violent protesters demanding Malema to be "left alone".

The firebrand Malema is facing charges of bringing the party into disrepute through a statement advocating regime change in Botswana, among other allegations. The angry and violent youths went further to burn posters of president and party leader Jacob Zuma, and T-shirts bearing his image and flags outside Luthuli House, the ANC head office in Johannesburg.

The violent protest has spawned a war of words between the ANC and members of the Youth League.

ANC Youth League spokesman Floyd Shivambu attempted to distance ANCYL activists from the violent protests, saying such perpetrators were "chancers".

"The ANCYL strongly condemns and dissociates itself from the burning of ANC T-shirts with the face of President Zuma. We reiterate our statement and call on those who are here to support the leadership to exercise maximum discipline and do so in a peaceful manner, regard and respect to the ANC process.

"We reaffirm the ANCYL respects the internal process of the ANC and will at all times submit itself to the organisational discipline, directives and guidelines of the ANC leadership collective, its policies and constitution.

"The ANCYL will never be associated with unruly, disruptive elements and agents provocateurs who want to portray genuine support and solidarity gathering in a bad light; we are calling for restraint from supporters and the security service," said Shivambu.

ANC spokesman, Jackson Mthembu, said the burning of President Zuma's T-shirts, party flags and posters was "totally unacceptable", "wanton acts of criminality" and "hooliganism" and the ugly scenes were perpetrated by an unruly mob of people claiming to be "ANC Youth League members".

"The question we ask ourselves is whether these people who have the audacity to burn the ANC flag, posters with the face of ANC President Jacob Zuma and other leaders of the movement, launch attack on police officers, hawkers and journalists qualify to regard themselves as members of the African National Congress or any of its leagues.

"The movement has been totally shocked and finds totally unacceptable the criminal acts of violence which included the throwing of rocks at motorists and members of the public. Not only is this kind of behaviour unacceptable and criminal, but it also flies in the face of all values and discipline of the ANC and all its leagues," said Mthembu.

He said those that took the responsibility to mobilise the crowds to gather outside Luthuli House, the leadership of the ANC Youth League,- should also take full responsibility for the violence, criminality and ill-discipline that accompanied the gathering.

"What kind of democracy is this we are seeing in the ANC today? It never happened before during the time of Nelson Mandela, not during the tenure of Thabo Mbeki," said Kholwani Ngcobo (25) of Soweto, who argued that the current leadership was afraid of losing positions in the forthcoming ANC elective congress in the Free State.

"Malema should never be persecuted for speaking out our minds. We need jobs, we want mines to be nationalised . . . we would immediately want to see the government embark on agrarian land reform to correct apartheid imbalances," he said.

Ngcobo was injured on his right hand and left leg as he and others battled police using stones and empty beer bottles.

Siyobonga Mkhizhe (23) another youth from Katlehong said Malema's case was not about the "regime change in Botswana", neither was it about "nationalisation of mines", but the thorny issue of the 2012 ANC battle for party top positions.

"Malema is not the South African government which makes policies or amend laws, so why are they scared of his mere utterances on mines nationalisation, regime change in Botswana as well as taking away land from white imperialists without paying compensation," said Mkhizhe.

Lebohang Radebe (19) of Alexandra who graduated from the University of Johannesburg last year, said in democracy people were allowed to raise any subject and discuss issues without expulsion or suspension from organisations.

"We burnt President Zuma's T-shirts, posters and ANC flags because we are beginning to see a monster in him. Zuma should be reminded that he came into power because of Malema and us the youths, and he forgets easily because of the wrong information from the communists," said Radebe.

At least one police officer was hit by a brick, a police spokesman said, and the domestic eNEWS channel said one of its television crews was attacked.

Two photographers were also attacked with rocks, SAPA news agency reported.

ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe told reporters that yesterday's violence was the worst since 1994 when several people were killed during a march on the building by supporters of the Zulu-based Inkatha Freedom Party.

The protesters earlier tried to break through the police barricades towards the building in downtown Johannesburg where the hearing was taking place.

They waved placards saying: "Hands off Julius Malema" and one reading: "We are prepared to take arms and kill for Malema".

Another placard read: "Zuma is a liability for Africa".

Analysts said the violence might have been orchestrated.

"If anyone thinks what is happening on the streets of Johannesburg is spontaneous combustion, well that is just rubbish," said Nic Borain, an independent political analyst.

"Malema is prepared to gamble everything on making his disciplining and removal from the party as costly as possible."

The hearing is as risky for Zuma, who hopes to be re-elected ANC leader at a party meeting in December 2012, as it is for Malema, who party insiders say ultimately wants the country's top job.

Analysts said the ANC waited too long to rein Malema in.

"Today is therefore a show of power by Zuma and the current ANC leadership against them, which they need to win and make up for letting this drag on for so long," said Nomura International emerging markets economist Peter Attard Montalto.

On the eve of the hearing, Malema said: "This does not delay our economic struggle. We see this as a setback for the revolution we are pursuing. We will continue to push for economic freedom in our lifetime."

The disciplinary panel was led by senior ANC member, Derek Hanekom, and includes mines minister Susan Shabangu, who has criticised Malema's calls for nationalisation.
In another sign of the party turning against him, former ANC guerrillas issued a statement condemning the violence.

"We who have fought against apartheid take a stand that we shall never allow our country to slip into the dark days of war," the Umkhonto Wesizwe veterans groups said.

Malema (30) and the top five members of the youth wing have been charged with sowing division in the party that has ruled South Africa for nearly two decades.
Zuma is on a state visit to Norway this week. - CAJ News-Reuters-guardian.co.uk.

Labels: DEMONSTRATION, JULIUS MALEMA

posted by MrK @ 4:16 PM