Malema comments 'racially divisive'
2009-10-02 18:02
Johannesburg - ANC Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema has once again made extremely controversial statements, upsetting the broader South African community that could lead to racial polarisation, the FF Plus said on Friday.
"It is time the ANC clamps down on him by conducting a proper disciplinary hearing," advocate Anton Alberts, FF Plus Parliamentary spokesperson on sport said.
"It is promising that the ANC is distancing itself from the comments made by Malema against Nedbank's withdrawal as sponsor of Athletics South Africa (ASA)."
"...It is however not enough as Malema does not take any notice of the ANC's reprimand. It is time that the ANC opens its eyes and realises that their youth leader is a dilemma which can no longer be ignored.
"He spreads suspicion, brings division and creates an atmosphere in which minorities are increasingly in danger of becoming innocent targets of the minority."
Malema threatens mobilisation
Malema on Thursday threatened to "mobilise society" against Nedbank following a decision to withdraw its sponsorship from Athletics SA (ASA).
He was quoted as saying: "Let them withdraw. We'll engage them and we'll expose them for who they are.
"We'll tell them the truth of why they are withdrawing, and we'll mobilise the South African society to know what Nedbank is."
Malema criticised Deputy Sport Minister Gert Oosthuizen for calling for ASA head Leonard Chuene's dismissal.
He also said the ANCYL would make it clear to the International Association of Athletics Federations that it should not "impose" its concept of "hermaphrodite" on South Africa.
Malema said: "Hermaphrodite, what is that? Somebody tell me, what is hermaphrodite in Pedi? There's no such thing, hermaphrodite, in Pedi. So don't impose your hermaphrodite concepts on us.
Malema later said he was not speaking in "scientific" terms but in "cultural" terms.
'Remove sport quotas'
The FF plus said if President Jacob Zuma truly had the interest of South Africa and its entire people at heart, "especially those minorities in general and Afrikaners in particular", he would take drastic action.
"The FF Plus therefore demands that the ANC holds a formal disciplinary hearing of Malema and bring him in line with the ANC's new approach toward reconciliation," Alberts said.
It also called for sport to be de-politicised and that all racial quotas be removed from sport and sport governing bodies.
"In that way, an incompetent person such as Leonard Chuene will never be the chairperson of ASA.
"It is time that the ANC say a final farewell to its cadre-deployment. South Africa has already suffered too much damage as a result of this type of ill-applied use of human resources."
The ANC was not immediately available for comment.
- SAPA