White youth must participate more in the social and political life of South Africa, the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) said on Friday.
“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,” said ANCYL president Julius Malema.
He was addressing the SA Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) in Cape Town on Friday.
He was asked to address the question of “Do the current institutions provide a sufficient platform for active citizenship?”.
Malema said South Africa has the best democracy supporting institutions 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.
He said “very few” white youth attend and participate in activities that celebrate national holidays such as Freedom Day, Human Rights Day and Youth Day “despite the fact that these are activities open to all people to participate”.
He called on white youth to join the ANCYL and ANC and “contribute in building the ANC and the country”.
“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.” - Sapa