ANCYL: Mbeki a good president

2008-06-06 17:05

Verashni Pillay

Cape Town - It makes no sense for President Thabo Mbeki to step down, newly-elected ANC Youth League president Julius Malema believes.

"Why would you want somebody to step down when he is finishing his term next year?" Malema told News24 in a frank interview after calls for Mbeki's head at an ANC-SACP-Cosatu alliance meeting in May.

Opposition Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille at the time reiterated that Mbeki should step down. She also called for an early election, rather than that ANC president Jacob Zuma assume power.

But in a surprise move Malema, who was elected in April, called Mbeki "a good leader" and said he shouldn't step down.

"He is left with less than a year to finish his term so it wouldn't make sense for him to step down."

The support comes despite the ANCYL's backing for Zuma in a bitterly contested battle for the ANC leadership.

Then president Fikile Mbalula said Mbeki was behind a political vendetta against Zuma. Mbalula was known for his anti-Mbeki stance.

Contested election

But Malema, while maintaining that there was no one better than Zuma to lead the ANC, insisted that Mbeki was not a lame duck president.

"Mbeki is a good leader of our government," said Malema.

Following chaos at the ANCYL's national congress at the University of the Free State in April, characterised by drunkenness and nudity, the league came under sharp criticism from the ANC.

Malema, whose contested election as ANCYL president was upheld by party elders, has since been careful to avoid making controversial statements about Mbeki.

The 27-year-old former Cosas Leader, who has committed himself to cleaning up the Youth League's image, used his first letter as president to chastise those who showed "unbecoming conduct" at the league's conference in Bloemfontein.

- News24