ANCYL planning huge JZ bash

2008-09-11 07:49

Johannesburg - The ANC Youth League is planning "a huge party" outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday, league president Julius Malema said on Wednesday.

"We have organised artists for Friday because we are going to celebrate," Malema told reporters in Johannesburg. "[ANC president Jacob] Zuma is going to be released."

Malema was speaking at the 64th birthday celebrations of the African National Congress Youth League, which was also attended by ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe.

"We are not a group of losers," said Malema.

"Every fight we fight, we win. We don't fight to lose. That's why everybody, every little artist, [must come to] Pietermaritzburg - there's going to be a huge party," he said to loud applause from supporters.

The Pietermaritzburg High Court is ruling on an application on Friday by Zuma's lawyers to have his prosecution declared invalid.

Judge 'looks sober'

"We'll be there in our numbers and if we are not there in terms of numbers when you count, you must know our people, wherever they are, they are there in Pietermaritzburg in spirit," said Malema.

He expressed optimism that the ruling would be in favour of Zuma.

"We believe in that judge, he looked very sober to us... we believe in that judge, he looked like Van der Merwe, that judge," said Malema, referring to Judge Willem van der Merwe who acquitted Zuma on rape charges.

"Therefore, that's why we are so convinced we are going to get a positive judgement."

But even if the judgment was not in Zuma's favour, the ANCYL would still make sure that he became president, said Malema.

"From Pietermaritzburg, we will march with him to the Union Buildings.

"We'll never hand over our president to [go to] jail without a fight. We're going to fight.

"Any force that tries to block our way, we will eliminate. We are on a mission here. We will crush you. It doesn't matter who you are... even if you are in the ANC," Malema said.

Respect for the judiciary

Malema denied the ANCYL disrespected the judiciary, saying even if he criticised the judiciary, this did not mean he would not comply with the law.

He quipped that Motlanthe - with whom he recently had a spat over his reported attack at the judiciary - would probably interfere, but that he still had the right to criticise.

Motlanthe, who hugged Malema at the start of the proceedings, laughed at his statement, smilingly shaking his head.

Malema said he respected the ANC leadership but this did not mean they could not disagree on matters.

"We may respect you to an extent that we are prepared to die for you... but that doesn't mean we can't have different opinions on issues," he said.

"We have a licence as the youth to make mistakes but you must be prepared to learn from your mistakes."

Proof that the ANCYL respected the law was its acceptance of former ANC chief whip Tony Yengeni's fraud conviction although it disagreed with the judgment.

"When we criticise a judgment it does not mean we don't comply... we carried him [Yengeni] to jail because we respect the judiciary, [it was] not the police force [that took him to jail], we ourselves took Yengeni to jail," said Malema.

- SAPA