Malema pulls out race card again
2010-01-22 22:31
Bloemfontein - Do not be afraid to confront issues of race, ANC Youth League president Julius Malema told Free State students on Friday.
"It is a most sensitive issue; while you speak against it you are declared a racist. If you are not strong, you will retreat," he said in Bloemfontein.
Malema was speaking at the University of the Free State during the launch by the SA Students' Congress of a "Right to Learn Campaign".
He said "those who have oppressed us", should be pressed to show remorse and accept that Africans are ruling the country.
"They have rejected" olive branches extended by former president Nelson Mandela and President Jacob Zuma.
"They do not participate in anything that is of national importance, they do not observe national days, they do not support national initiatives," Malema said.
"... They do not care about the development of this country, they are forever obsessed with whether they are going to be attacked or robbed."
'White males still control economy'
Malema said white people had been taught from an early age that a black person could never be trusted, that "a black person has a potential of being a criminal, a black person has a potential of being a murderer".
Malema said the ANC had fought for a non-racial society and was building a non-racial society.
However, he said this would not be reached if national questions such as race, gender or class were not addressed.
Malema said South Africa's freedom was useless while the country's economic power was still in the hands of white males.
"There is nothing transformed in the economy of South Africa and for as long as we don't take a radical position to the transformation of the economy it will forever be dominated by white males."
Free education
Malema said there were usually no problems with debates such as gender issues and about whether the working class should be the ruling class.
However, when the alliance wanted to fight the monopoly of white capital in society, it was branded racist.
Malema told the students the government would never be able to supply free education only through collecting taxes.
"We need extra income. Where is this? It is beneath the soil of South Africa - that is where we can get the money," he said.
Nationalisation
Malema said the government would like to guarantee the ownership of the country's minerals for the people of this country.
The government would be prepared to go into partnership with the private sector in the mining sector, but government must hold the majority share.
The ANC youth leader said the working class should be able to indicate what they wanted government to do with the money made from mines.
"That way we know there is public participation in the process," Malema said.
"We do not pay tax, because we are government but Anglo Platinum must still pay tax after declaring dividends with us," he said to huge cheers from the group.
Turning to the event itself, Malema echoed local student leaders' unhappiness that the meetings were held at the university's Rag Farm, removed from the central part of the campus, blaming the university's white Afrikaner management.
"There is an evil spirit at the UFS. The evil spirit must be confronted, that evil spirit is deep-rooted at the university and that is racism," he said.
- SAPA