ANC YOUTH LEAGUE PRESIDENT JULIUS MALEMA ADDRESS TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN UNION OF JEWISH STUDENTS-08 APRIL, CAPE TOWN:

Do the current institutions provide a sufficient platform for active citizenship?

1. We send our greetings from the ANC Youth League National Executive Committee of the ANC Youth League and the broader membership to the South African Union of Jewish Students.

2. We are aware that the primary mission Union of Jewish Students' is to unite Jewish Students throughout South Africa, promote Jewish Identity, support the needs and interests of all Jewish Students, foster a positive relationship with Israel and create and promote programmes that seek to involve Students within the South African community.

3. This is all good and well and appreciated because the political freedom which the ANC fought for protects the rights of all communities to organise themselves around various interests and programmes.

4. But because most if not all of you are South Africans, your primary focus and dedication should be South Africa.

5. Jews are an important part of South Africa and have always been a critical component of South Africa's history on many fronts, including Politics, Legal Profession and Business.

6. Some have played a critical role in the struggle against apartheid repression and very few were sympathisers of the repressive racist apartheid regime.

7. The Jewish community understood and should forever understand that exclusion and repression based on race and creed was and is totally unacceptable.

8. Joe Slovo, Ruth First, Denis Goldberg, Albie Sachs and many others played a very important role in the struggle for a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.

9. They actively participated in the struggle which the apartheid regime presented as a struggle against white people of whatever origin.

10. They understood that the struggle the political liberation of South Africa was not and has never been struggle against white people.

11. The struggle against apartheid repression was and is a struggle against the ideology and system of racial oppression and dominance.

12. Everything the ANC did, including its theory of liberation, programmes and songs have never been against white people, but against the system of racial oppression.

13. Those who are opposed to change always try to present the programmes and pronouncements of the ANC as anti-white people.

14. The ANC and the Youth League have under difficult conditions, even when repression and racism had a white face, always said that South Africa belongs to all who live in it-black and white.

15. The Constitution of South Africa is based on this principle of the Freedom Charter and its Preamble says, "We, the people of South Africa,
recognise the injustices of our past; honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity".

16. This principle is important and we will forever protect it.

17. It also lays foundation for active citizenship by all patriotic South Africans.

18. As Youth League, we call on all white youth to begin to value and cherish the values of the Constitution and participate actively in the political and social life of the country.

19. White Youth should join the ANC Youth League and ANC and contribute in building the ANC and the country.

20. We say you should join and participate in the ANC because it is only the ANC, which provides a fair and reasonable space and opportunity to contribute to the development of our country.

21. The question posed by the topic you requested us to speak about, "Do the current institutions provide a sufficient platform for active citizenship?" is easy to answer because at all times, space is given to all people to participate actively as citizens of this country.

22. The platforms provided by the democratic discourse allow all of us to engage openly and participate in the programmes and activities of our country.

23. South Africa is a multi-party democracy and all South Africans have a right to vote and be voted for.

24. Parliament, which is the highest law making authority in South Africa is openly contested, and this practice cascades down to Provinces where Provincial Legislatures are elected and Local level, where Municipality Councils are elected.

25. All these institutions of democracy provide a fair and balanced platform for all South Africans to participate.

26. Both National and Provincial Parliaments have Public hearing process where members of the public can freely contribute to law making.

27. The development of Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) in Municipalities is open to members of the community and Ward Committees are platforms where members of the community freely interact with their elected Councillors.

28. The South African Judiciary is Independent and Free and have the right and freedom to contradict some political decisions.

29. The Courts, including the Equality Court can be approached by any South African who believes that they are facing discrimination of any kind.

30. South Africa has the best democracy supporting institutions and commissions, such as the Public protector, human rights commission, gender commission, Auditor General, and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities.

31. All these Chapter 9 institutions allow for active citizenship and should be utilised by all South Africans, particularly students to strengthen democracy.

32. These institutions should never be used to undermine the programme for social and economic transformation.

33. For some of you, this means active participation and involvement in programmes that commemorate and celebrate National Holidays, particularly Freedom Day, Human Rights Day and Youth Day.

34. Very few white youth attend and participate these important days in the calendar of South Africa, despite the fact that these are activities open to all people to participate.

35. Patriotism means that you should share in the objectives and visions of our country.

36. As Union of Jewish Students, you should certainly speak about Israel and dedicate your time to critically engage on what happens in Israel, but you should first understand and appreciate South Africa.

37. As Youth League, we are certain that there can be a co-existence of the Israel and Palestine States, and thus we believe that the immediate stop to violence in that region from either side.

38. The union of Jewish students should speak about this issue and take a position that recognises the existence of Palestine as an independent State.

39. You should draw positive lessons from the Youth of the ANC, who in historically and in character are fearless and always speak about issues that relate to the future.

40. The ANC Youth League is now speaking about economic freedom in our lifetime, and this means that all the aims of the Freedom Charter are attained.

41. The Freedom Charter which says South Africa belongs to all who live in it black and white, also says the mineral wealth beneath the soil, monopoly industries and banks should be transferred to the ownership of the people as a whole.

42. Transfer to the ownership of the people as a whole means that we should Nationalise Mines and Banks.

43. Nationalisation of Mines is ANC policy because the Freedom Charter is a strategic objective of the ANC.

44. We re-affirmed our standing that Mines' Nationalisation should happen in order to achieve the following:

a. Increase the budget of the State for social development purposes, e.g. Health, Education, Rural development, fight against crime and job creation.

b. Lay a very firm basis for the country's minerals to be locally beneficiated and industrialised.

c. Change the South African economy from over-dependence and reliance of exporting of natural resources and importing of finished goods and services.

d. Create new economic centres of development outside of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

e. Could improve the working conditions and salaries of Mine workers.

45. The government revenue that is generated from taxes will not be able to build better lives for all South Africans. Government cannot solely rely on taxes to deliver better services to majority of our people. South African will not be able to deal with the housing backlog, free education access, better healthcare, safety and security, employment of particularly youth if we are not in control of the key and strategic sectors of the South African economy. The wealth of South Africa should benefit all who live in it.

46. It is an open secret that ordinary workers in Mines are the least beneficiaries of mining in South Africa either as recipients of salaries and stakeholders in mining. Mineworkers in South Africa are underpaid and work under difficult conditions and unsafe Mines. Their workplaces and socio-economic existence expose these workers to fatal diseases and accidents. Nationalised Mines should be beacons of safer working environments and better working conditions, as they will not be in narrow pursuit of profits at the expense of community and human development.

47. With State ownership and control of Mineral Resources, South Africa will be able to attract industrial investors, who will contribute to the growth of the economy, transfer skills, education and expertise to locals and give them sustainable jobs. It can never be correct that an absolute majority of the Minerals we produce is exported to other countries, with very little efforts to build internal capacity to beneficiate these minerals.

48. Nationalisation of Mines will lead to greater local beneficiation, industrialisation, growth of the economy and jobs for majority of our people. The industrial strategy adopted by government will never succeed unless we have State control and ownership of the natural resources.

49. We need metals, iron ore, gold, platinum, COAL, chrome, manganese and many other minerals to industrialise. South Africa's skills development efforts should be dynamically (not exclusively) linked to the industrialisation of minerals wealth.

50. Although related to the above component, it is important to highlight the fact that the South African economy as it currently stands bears strong features of all colonial economies. Primarily, all colonial economies were positioned as sources and reserves of primary goods and services for the colonisers' economies.

51. We speak about these issues because we have to at all times, speak about the attainment of real freedom for all our people.

52. The Oppenheimer family controls a substantial component of South African minerals and have been in control and ownership of the minerals resources.

53. They should understand and appreciate that Nationalisation of Mines does not mean that they will be banned from doing business, but that they should share with the people of South Africa.

54. These are the debates and issues open to all of us to engage, and as Union of Jewish Students should develop and perspective and engage with the ANC Youth League in call the campuses you exist.

Issued by the ANC Youth League, April 8 2011

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