ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji has been criticised in South African social media circles after he made a raging speech at the weekend that left tongues wagging.
His speech, meant to address the youth league’s, Peter Mokaba Volunteers Rally at the Alexandra Stadium in Alexandra, Johannesburg, included attacks on President Cyril Ramaphosa and ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.
Mbalula was also attending.
The rally was meant for the youth league to gear up for the May 29 national elections.
Former president Jacob Zuma and Ramaphosa’s Cabinet was also not spared as Malatji raged on.
However, the SA social media fraternity was not impressed by the speech from the leader of the young lions, comparing him to president of the EFF, Julius Malema.
Malema was expelled from the party in 2012 for bringing the party in disrepute for a series of similar utterances to his party elders.
The youth league has been in limbo, without a proper structure until Malatji’s election last year.
Before that, the then president of the youth league Collen Maine resigned from the party, causing another vacuum within the party’s youth ranks, resulting in the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) disbanding the NEC of the Youth League until its conference last year.
In his speech, Malatji had threatened Ramaphosa and Mbalula with overthrowing the country if the two ANC bosses didn’t put the interests of the youth first.
“We told the president that we are not a very peaceful youth league. If post elections after we win the elections with 100% the president of the party and the SG Fikile Mbalula don’t deliver on youth demands we will go to the Union Buildings and close it ourselves because we are not a youth league of cowards … If the SG and the president of the ANC don’t deliver we will install ourselves and move the country forward without them,” Malatji said.
The youth had found it enough that Parliament was turned into an old age home, Malatji said, taking a swipe at the ANC Cabinet while also saying the time for them to use blue lights like it belonged to their mothers had come to an end.
“Parliament can no longer be a place of old people who when they want to retire they retire in Parliament … that place is an important corridor of power and that carrier must reflect the majority of you here (youth).
“Mbalula and I are going to turn Luthuli house into a centre of power … people will report to us there. This thing of people driving in blue lights, thinking it belongs to their mothers is over,” Malatji said.
He then launched an attack on Zuma saying the ANC had made a “big mistake” by installing a “Grade 2 dropout” to preside over the country for two terms.
Although Malatji did not mention Zuma by name, it was clear that he was referring to him.
“There’s a man in Nkandla, a Grade 2 dropout that the ANC taught how to read and write. Today he’s using the English of the ANC to attack the ANC.
“That Grade 2 dropout has now gone and taken Mandela’s uMkhonto weSizwe and made it uMkhonto weSisu,” Malatji said
This can be loosely translated to spear of the nation and spear of the stomach, respectively.
Malatji’s address hogged attention and sparked a debate on social media with SA citizens calling him a “Juju wannabe”.
Leandi Erasmus wrote: Is he bloody insane? Does he know what he is talking about? He is trying to be Julius Malema number 2?“
Zain Abdulla posted: “This sounds very much like a previous youth league president Julius Malema under Jacob Zuma.”
Thabo Malatji asked: “When are we going to get rid of Malema in the Youth League … We are tired, really?’’