Polokwane - Expelled ANC Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema has advised the recently-elected SA Students' Congress (Sasco) Student Representative Council (SRC) at the University of Limpopo’s (UL) Turfloop campus not to live expensive lifestyles while in office.
Malema told a capacity crowd at the university’s Tiro Hall on Monday night that student leaders should not change their lifestyles by buying plasma television sets, expensive clothes or change student residences as this would create the suspicion that they had sold out.
“Once you leave (the residence), you are going to forget easily,” Malema said.
Malema, who is known for his lavish lifestyle and expensive tastes, said the power with which the student body had entrusted its SRC leaders would test their characters.
“Power does not change a man. Power makes you see the real man,” he said.
Malema said the SRC's leaders should also exercise care when choosing their girlfriends.
“Even when you chose a girlfriend, you must choose a proper one,” he said to cheers.
In his 90-minute speech, Malema drew comparisons between Zimbabwe and South African. He painted a picture of Zimbabwe as a successful revolutionary story.
He said the two countries possessed 80 percent of the world’s platinum reserves and the west had no choice but to bring in investment.
He said that because of sanctions, Zimplat - a major mine Zanu-PF took control of a few years ago - was successfully run by blacks without any mining machinery from western countries.
He also said the country had dispossessed 4 000 white families of tobacco farms, had given them to 57 000 black families, and that they remained productive.
“Zimbabweans are producing gold using manual methods without machines. Can you imagine if they could give them machines. They can’t get machines because they are under sanctions,” he said.
Malema told the students the ANCYL had not advocated wholesale nationalisation, but simply wanted greater state control in key sectors of the economy.
“We can actually do without them (white farmers). We don’t want to chase them from South Africa. We are saying to them come let’s work together. We have never said they must go away. We said to them if you are owning 1 000 hectares of land, give us 800 and be left with 200,” he said.
He took swipes at President Jacob Zuma over the Nkandla homestead saga, and at businessman Cyril Ramaphosa (who chaired the ANC committee which upheld his expulsion) for trying to buy a buffalo for R18 million and a multimillion rand car.
Malema also and questioned the nominations of three prominent businessmen, including ANC treasurer general Mathews Phosa, for the position of deputy president.
“Are we taking a detour? Is that where we are going?” he asked.
Malema, who spent two days in Zimbabwe at the weekend, earlier addressed a gathering in Vhembe district. - Sapa