Submit your comment
By Carien du Plessis
Political Bureau
President Jacob Zuma has endorsed ANC Youth League president Julius Malema as a future leader of the ANC.
In his most emphatic display of support for the controversial youth league leader, Zuma praised Malema as a "leader in the making" and someone who would be worthy of inheriting the ANC.
Zuma was speaking in Malema's Limpopo home town of Seshego, near Polokwane, where he handed over a house and a church that had been built with Malema's help.
'The ANC recognises talent and leadership'
At the ceremonies organised by the youth league, Malema was introduced as "president" Malema, alongside Zuma.
Continues Below ↓
Zuma, who has never before spoken so openly and boldly about his support for Malema, said older ANC leaders were "happy" to leave the party to leaders like Malema.
"Some of us are no longer young and when we go across the mountain in terms of age, we are happy that when we go on the organisation will remain in real hands of (those) who will think about the people," he said.
Zuma said Malema was made by the ANC.
"The ANC recognises talent and leadership and we give people an opportunity. Julius has illustrated that he is indeed a good leader and that he understands the people," Zuma said.
'That is an example of his love for his people'
He later asked the congregation to pray for the youth league president "not to falter along the way because here you have a leader in the making".
Malema said he built the church after his mother, Florah Malema, a domestic worker and regular churchgoer, had died before she could accomplish her dream of doing so.
He urged the congregation not to burn the church down again when they had disagreements, as had happened once when he was a child.
He had approached business people who donated building materials and their time to rebuild the church and quipped that "(former president) Thabo Mbeki had his own millionaires, and President Jacob Zuma is also getting his own millionaires".
Continues...
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
