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162-728: The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) is the youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC). As set out in its constitution, the ANC Youth League is led by a National Executive Committee (NEC) and a National Working Committee (NWC). The idea of the formation of the ANC youth league started in 1943, in Orlando, Soweto at Walter Sisulu 's house by Anton Lembede , A.P. Mda , Jordan Ngubane, Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo . Its founders felt that ANC
324-704: A Bachelor of Arts in communications and African languages in March 2016 an Honours degree in philosophy in 2017. In 2018, he enrolled in a master's degree programme at the University of the Witwatersrand . By 2008, Malema was the provincial secretary of the Limpopo branch of the ANC Youth League and a leading contender for election as president of the national league. His candidacy had
486-698: A broad church , and, like many dominant parties , resembles a catch-all party , accommodating a range of ideological tendencies. As Mandela told the Washington Post in 1990: The ANC has never been a political party. It was formed as a parliament of the African people. Right from the start, up to now, the ANC is a coalition, if you want, of people of various political affiliations. Some will support free enterprise , others socialism . Some are conservatives , others are liberals . We are united solely by our determination to oppose racial oppression . That
648-460: A neoliberal policy, and it was disowned by both COSATU and the SACP. While some analysts viewed Mbeki's economic policy as undertaking the uncomfortable macroeconomic adjustments necessary for long-term growth, others – notably Patrick Bond – viewed it as a reflection of the ANC's failure to implement genuinely radical transformation after 1994. Debate about ANC commitment to redistribution on
810-571: A 16 Million Rand house And all of you dont!!!!", in reference to allegations in media that Julius Malema was building himself a R16 million house in the elite Johannesburg suburb of Sandton . This was followed the next day, 25 July 2011, by another hack superimposing the faces of Julius Malema and Jacob Zuma, the President of the African National Congress and South Africa, on the poster for the movie Dumb & Dumber . During
972-642: A collective of young members of the ANC and its youth league, led by Nonceba Mhlauli , Katlego Mamabolo , Luzuko Bashman , Ngoako Selamolela and collective, mobilized and organized young people from all over the country, under the banner of the ANCYL Crisis Committee, to call for the disbandment of the ANCYL National Youth Task Team, due to the illegality and unconstutionality of the structure. The ANCYL Crisis Committee argued that senior ANC member must stay away from
1134-597: A complaint against the media for publishing the location of his home. On 11 November 2021, the day F. W. de Klerk died, Malema tweeted, "Thank you God", followed by five dancing figure emojis (🕺🏾and 💃), which observers interpreted as a response to de Klerk's death. Malema later applauded the government's decision not to give de Klerk a state funeral . Reports regarding Malema's possible involvement in state tenders (contracts) began appearing in November 2009. Questions about his personal lifestyle were raised by
1296-563: A controversial apartheid struggle song "Shoot the Boer" (Boer being the Afrikaans word for "farmer"), which drew further criticism in light of the numerous killings of white farmers and black labourers across South Africa. The South African Equality Court ruled that the song motivated genocide and was thus declared hate speech and interdict for its singing in public and private meetings, was issued. The ANCYL stated that they are willing to contest
1458-428: A fool out of myself; I promote my own agenda over my country and parties; I promote the singing of racist songs to promote violence and unrest in the country." On 13 June 2011, the ANC Youth League's website was hacked again, this time with a fake post under its news section, "Julius Malema defects to Cope". A subsequent hack on 24 July 2011, placed a banner at the top of the home page with the statement, "HA HA HA I have
1620-486: A journalist. As a result of its finding, the National Disciplinary Committee suspended Malema from the ANC for five years and required him to vacate his position as president of the ANC Youth League. Malema publicly expressed his intention to appeal the ruling and disparaged the disciplinary process as politically motivated and an attempt to "settle scores". On 4 February 2012, his appeal
1782-485: A key player in the negotiations to end apartheid , which began in earnest after the ban was repealed in 1990. For much of that time, the ANC leadership, along with many of its most active members, operated from abroad. After the Soweto Uprising of 1976, the ANC remained committed to achieving its objectives through armed struggle, led by its military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe. These circumstances significantly shaped
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#17327760650381944-516: A leadership vote in 1985. Also notable about this period was the extremely close relationship between the ANC and the reconstituted South African Communist Party (SACP), which was also in exile. In 1961, partly in response to the Sharpeville massacre, leaders of the SACP and the ANC formed a military body, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK, Spear of the Nation ), as a vehicle for armed struggle against
2106-508: A leading example of the triumph of humanity over adversity. The exemplary role of the collective leadership of the Communist Party of China in this regard should be a guiding lodestar of our own struggle. Towards the end of Jacob Zuma 's presidency, an ANC faction aligned to Zuma pioneered a new policy platform referred to as radical economic transformation (RET). Zuma announced the new focus on RET during his February 2017 State of
2268-424: A lifelong member of the ANC, he would not be campaigning for the ANC in the 2024 South African general election , and would instead be voting for MK. In July 2024, Jacob Zuma was expelled from the African National Congress (ANC), because of campaigning for a rival party (MK party) in the 29 May general election. Under the ANC constitution, every member of the ANC belongs to a local branch, and branch members select
2430-530: A media briefing at EFF headquarters on the same day, Malema stated "there is actually black genocide in the U.S., they are killing black people in the U.S. [...] black people are even being killed in South Africa". He also made an allegation that "there's a group of white right-wingers who are being trained by Jews in Pretoria to be snipers". The South African Jewish Board of Deputies subsequently issued
2592-569: A memorandum of understanding to train ANC members in China. President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC have not condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine , and have faced criticism from opposition parties, public commentators, academics, civil society organisations, and former ANC members due to this. The ANC youth wing has meanwhile condemned sanctions against Russia and denounced NATO's eastward expansion as "fascistic". Officials representing
2754-545: A national radio station. The spokesperson, Floyd Shivambu kept on saying that their meaning of sleeping around is: "sleeping around". He was unable to clarify whether sleeping around means having sex or not having sex. On 17 March 2013 the ANC National Executive disbanded the ANCYL's National Executive Committee, a move that was widely seen to be a purging of opponents of Jacob Zuma. In 2010 Julius Malema sang
2916-414: A nomination to stand against him. Ronald Lamola succeeded Lungisa as deputy league president. On 31 July 2011, at a briefing following a Boksburg meeting of the ANC Youth League's National Executive Committee, Malema made a series of controversial comments about the political situation in neighbouring Botswana. He described the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) as "a foot stool of imperialism ,
3078-656: A number of controversial quotes by Mugabe, including, "The only white man you can trust is a dead white man". The South African Human Rights Commission condemned the post and said they would sue Malema for spreading hate speech . During a 2021 session of the Pan-African Parliament , Malema threatened to kill a Malian Member of the Parliament. Eyewitness News reported that party leader Julius Malema's family residence in Hyde Park , Johannesburg
3240-524: A political liability for him or a political threat to him. By early 2010, Zuma faced significant pressure, both from the public and from inside the ANC, to curtail Malema's increasingly inflammatory conduct, and the Mail & Guardian reported that Zuma was concerned about being perceived as "a lame duck " with respect to the Youth League. In mid-March 2010, ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe told
3402-476: A political settlement between ZANU-PF and the MDC. City Press reported that ANC officials had asked the Youth League to postpone its trip, though Malema told the media that Zuma had personally endorsed it. In addition, on 8 April, Malema received international media attention for his conduct during an altercation with Jonah Fisher , a BBC journalist. At a media briefing about his visit to Zimbabwe, Malema mocked
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#17327760650383564-590: A security threat to Africa and always under constant puppetry of the United States", and he announced the Youth League's plan to establish a "Botswana command team" which would assist Botswana's opposition parties in uniting to oppose the BDP's "puppet regime". In addition, in what was viewed as a "veiled swipe" against Zuma and his cabinet , he said that there had been "a vacuum on the ideological and political leadership of Africa" since Thabo Mbeki's departure from
3726-558: A series of bilateral accords with the government establishing a mutual commitment to negotiations. Importantly, the Pretoria Minute of August 1990 included a commitment by the ANC to unilaterally suspend its armed struggle. This made possible the multi-party Convention for a Democratic South Africa and later the Multi-Party Negotiating Forum, in which the ANC was regarded as the main representative of
3888-481: A socialist scale has continued: in 2013, the country's largest trade union, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa , withdrew its support for the ANC on the basis that "the working class cannot any longer see the ANC or the SACP as its class allies in any meaningful sense". It is evident, however, that the ANC never embraced free-market capitalism , and continued to favour a mixed economy : even as
4050-540: A statement denouncing Malema, calling his comments "typical of his attention-seeking behaviour" and "aimed at creating racial tension". On a number of occasions, Malema has invited controversy and criticism by making allusions to or threats of violence. In an interview with Al Jazeera broadcast in April 2016, Malema said that if the ANC government continued to respond violently to peaceful protests, "We will run out of patience very soon and we will remove this government through
4212-612: A stay-at-home in protest at the South African Government's decision to leave the Commonwealth of Nations before leaving South Africa at the suggestion of the ANC. The Youth League continued its activities underground during the remainder of the apartheid years. In 1990, F. W. de Klerk legalised the ANC and its associated organisations including the Youth League, and Peter Mokaba led the newly unbanned Youth League. In 2005, Fikile Mbalula became president of
4374-476: A strong preference for a significant degree of state intervention in the economy . The ANC's first comprehensive articulation of its post-apartheid economic policy framework was set out in the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) document of 1994, which became its electoral manifesto and also, under the same name, the flagship policy of Nelson Mandela's government . The RDP aimed both to redress
4536-535: A surge in trade union activity and by the formation in 1944 of the left-wing ANC Youth League under a new generation of activists, among them Walter Sisulu , Nelson Mandela , and Oliver Tambo . After the National Party was elected into government in 1948 on a platform of apartheid , entailing the further institutionalisation of racial segregation , this new generation pushed for a Programme of Action which explicitly advocated African nationalism and led
4698-478: A walkout, while protesters, including Mandela, were jailed and beaten for their opposition to the government. Thabo Mbeki became active in the Youth League in 1956 and was expelled from high school in 1959 as a result of participation in a strike. In 1959 many ANCYL members broke away to form the rival Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). In 1960, the PAC, ANC and its associated organisations had been banned. Mbeki organised
4860-657: A wide audience during apartheid. " Amandla ngawethu ", or the Sotho variant "Matla ke arona", is a common rallying call at ANC meetings, roughly meaning " power to the people ". It is also common for meetings to sing so-called struggle songs, which were sung during anti-apartheid meetings and in MK camps. In the case of at least two of these songs – Dubula ibhunu and Umshini wami – this has caused controversy in recent years. The ANC has received criticism from both internal and external sources. Internally Mandela publicly criticized
5022-553: A youth league. The first conference of the youth league was in March 1944 and it was attended by 200 people. The ANC had deployed Selope Thema , activist and former South African Native National Congress secretary, to open the congress. Albertina Sisulu , the wife of Walter Sisulu, was the only female present. The conference elected Anton Lembede as president, Victor Mbodo was elected vice president, Walter Sisulu as treasurer, and Oliver Tambo as secretary. A.P. Mda, A.Nxamala, David Bopape, Peter Burman, and Joseph Mokoena were elected to
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5184-557: Is a controversial and divisive figure in South African politics: he has been favourably described by both Zuma and the Premier of Limpopo Province , Cassel Mathale , as the "future leader" of South Africa. Detractors describe him as a "reckless populist " with the potential to destabilise South Africa and spark racial conflict. Born on 3 March 1981, Malema was born and raised in the township of Seshego near Polokwane in
5346-576: Is a member of the Socialist International , and its close partner the SACP traditionally conceives itself as a vanguard party . Specifically, and as implied by the 1969 document, NDR doctrine entails that the transformation of the domestic political system (national struggle, in Joe Slovo 's phrase) is a precondition for a socialist revolution (class struggle). The concept remained important to ANC intellectuals and strategists after
5508-412: Is considered a dominant-party state . However, the ANC's electoral majority has declined consistently since 2004, and in the 2021 local elections , its share of the national vote dropped below 50% for the first time ever. Over the last decade, the party has been embroiled in a number of controversies, particularly relating to widespread allegations of political corruption among its members. Following
5670-649: Is not what we are scared of. As long as that blood delivers what belongs to us, we are prepared to go to that extent". In June 2013, Malema began to canvas for his political party called the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The South African president Jacob Zuma, at a meeting with the SA National Editors' Forum, stated that the ruling party does not see this development as a threat. While still on trial for money laundering and racketeering charges Malema started appealing for funds for
5832-413: Is overseen by so-called list committees and tends to involve a degree of broad democratic participation, especially at the local level, where ANC branches vote to nominate candidates for the local government elections. Between 2003 and 2008, the ANC also gained a significant number of members through the controversial floor crossing process, which occurred especially at the local level. The leaders of
5994-439: Is the only thing that unites us. There is no question of ideology as far as the odyssey of the ANC is concerned, because any question approaching ideology would split the organization from top to bottom. Because we have no connection whatsoever except at this one, of our determination to dismantle apartheid. The post-apartheid ANC continues to identify itself foremost as a liberation movement , pursuing "the complete liberation of
6156-511: The 2009 World Athletics Championships . He also defended Athletics South Africa (ASA) president Leonard Chuene, who had allowed Semenya to compete at the championships even after being informed that a gender test had identified her as an intersex person. Malema argued that Chuene's actions required no apology and that he "was right to lie [about the gender test] to protect her". He criticised Deputy Sports Minister Gert Oosthuizen for calling for Chuene's dismissal, and he harshly criticised
6318-592: The 2024 general election , the ANC lost its majority in parliament for the first time in South Africa's democratic history. It still remains the largest party however, with under 41% of the vote. The party also lost its majority in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Gauteng and Northern Cape. Despite these setbacks, the ANC retained power at the national level through a grand coalition referred to as the Government of National Unity , including parties which together have 72% of
6480-540: The 54th National Conference in 2017, the ANC endorsed a number of policy principles advocated by RET supporters, including their proposal to pursue land expropriation without compensation as a matter of national policy. The ANC has long had close ties with China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), with the CCP having supported ANC's struggle of apartheid since 1961. In 2008, the two parties signed
6642-563: The Boer "). In 2012, Malema was charged with fraud, money laundering and racketeering. After numerous postponements, the case was dismissed by the courts in 2015 due to repeated delays by the National Prosecuting Authority , leading to perceptions that the charges were politically motivated. However, AfriForum announced in 2018 that it would mount a private prosecution of Malema on the corruption charges. Malema
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6804-475: The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). However, once negotiations resumed, they resulted in November 1993 in an interim Constitution , which governed South Africa's first democratic elections on 27 April 1994. In the elections, the ANC won an overwhelming 62.65% majority of the vote. Mandela was elected president and formed a coalition Government of National Unity , which, under the provisions of
6966-573: The International Association of Athletics Federations for attempting to "impose" on South Africans the concept of intersex, which he argued did not exist in Pedi culture. In October 2009, Malema threatened to "mobilise society" against Nedbank if it did not retract its decision to withdraw its sponsorship of ASA, suggesting (against Nedbank's protestation) that the decision was linked to ASA's support for Semenya. In response to
7128-532: The Oilgate scandal, in which millions of Rand in funds from a state-owned company were funnelled into ANC coffers. The ANC has also been accused of using government and civil society to fight its political battles against opposition parties such as the Democratic Alliance . The result has been a number of complaints and allegations that none of the political parties truly represent the interests of
7290-748: The Rivonia trial and Little Rivonia trial . From around 1963, the ANC effectively abandoned much of even its underground presence inside South Africa and operated almost entirely from its external mission, with headquarters first in Morogoro, Tanzania , and later in Lusaka, Zambia . For the entirety of its time in exile, the ANC was led by Tambo – first de facto , with president Albert Luthuli under house arrest in Zululand ; then in an acting capacity, after Luthuli's death in 1967; and, finally, officially, after
7452-424: The Russian invasion of Ukraine , President Cyril Ramaphosa and the African National Congress have pursued a policy of strict neutrality. The ANC youth wing, meanwhile, has condemned sanctions against Russia and denounced NATO 's eastward expansion as "fascistic". Officials representing the ANC Youth League acted as international observers for Russia's staged referendum to annex Ukrainian territory conquered during
7614-478: The Sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 March 1960. In the aftermath, the ANC was banned by the South African government. It was not unbanned until February 1990, almost three decades later. After its banning in April 1960, the ANC was driven underground, a process hastened by a barrage of government banning orders , by an escalation of state repression, and by the imprisonment of senior ANC leaders pursuant to
7776-637: The South African National Defence Force , and said that there were plans for the Youth League leadership to join the reservist programme. The military training was confirmed in May 2010, with the naval training due to commence in September 2010. As the end of Malema's first term in the presidency approached, observers expected him to face a strong challenge to his re-election bid, probably from his deputy Andile Lungisa. In
7938-518: The Transvaal , in the region now known as Limpopo . His family is Northern Sotho , and his mother was a domestic worker and a single parent. After his mother died, he was raised by his grandmother, who died in May 2019. According to Malema, he joined the Masupatsela ("trailblazers") movement of the African National Congress (ANC) at the age of nine or ten. His main task at the time
8100-433: The conservative , educated, and religious professional classes of black South African society. Although they would not take part, Xhosa chiefs would show huge support for the organisation; as a result, King Jongilizwe donated 50 cows to during its founding. Around 1920, in a partial shift away from its early focus on the "politics of petitioning", the ANC developed a programme of passive resistance directed primarily at
8262-508: The executive in each sphere of government – the president , the provincial premiers , and the mayors – are indirectly elected after each election. In practice, the selection of ANC candidates for these positions is highly centralised, with the ANC caucus voting together to elect a pre-decided candidate. Although the ANC does not always announce whom its caucuses intend to elect, the National Assembly has thus far always elected
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#17327760650388424-499: The freedom of the press . Opposition to the bill included otherwise ANC-aligned groups such as COSATU . Notably, Nelson Mandela and other Nobel laureates Nadine Gordimer , Archbishop Desmond Tutu , and F. W. de Klerk have expressed disappointment with the bill for not meeting standards of constitutionality and aspirations for freedom of information and expression. The ANC have been criticised for its role in failing to prevent 16 August 2012 massacre of Lonmin miners at Marikana in
8586-498: The national presidency . Ahead of the 2009 general election , Malema was nominated to stand for election as a Member of Parliament but declined on the grounds that Parliament was "for old people". Nonetheless, he campaigned energetically for the ANC and for Zuma, the party's presidential candidate, in the election. In April 2009, for example, he and the rest of a league delegation were asked to leave Port Elizabeth 's Dora Nginza Hospital , where they had been canvassing support in
8748-542: The white genocide conspiracy theory and was critical of comments made by United States President Donald Trump , after he had instructed his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to investigate South African farm attacks . Claiming it was "absolute rubbish to say there's white genocide", Malema said that "South Africans would not be intimidated by Mr Trump" and that the US President's intervention into their domestic land rights issues "only made them more determined". At
8910-530: The "unbecoming conduct" shown by delegates at the conference. Following an intervention by the mainstream ANC, the league held a special closed congress in Johannesburg in June. On the recommendation of ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe , Mofokeng agreed to affirm the results of the election held in April. By the time of his election as Youth League president, Malema, like most of the league's membership,
9072-476: The 1970s, conditions for armed struggle soon improved considerably, especially after the Soweto uprising of 1976 in South Africa saw thousands of students – inspired by Black Consciousness ideas – cross the borders to seek military training. MK guerrilla activity inside South Africa increased steadily over this period, with one estimate recording an increase from 23 incidents in 1977 to 136 incidents in 1985. In
9234-407: The ANC Youth League acted as international observers for Russia's staged referendum to annex Ukrainian territory conquered during the war. In February 2024 ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula attend a "forum on combating Western neocolonialism" hosted by Russia, thereby drawing further criticism for the party's perceived support for Russia's invasion. The ANC had received large donations from
9396-438: The ANC Youth League's website was hacked with a fake post under its news section, "Latest ANCYL News". The post's headline, "Julius Malema to Step Down as Youth League President" was posted as a statement by Julius Malema tendering his resignation because he had "made a fool of himself." Some reasons were listed for his resignation: "I have brought my party the ANC into disrepute (sic); I have disrespected my elders and have made
9558-640: The ANC during its years in exile. In the post-apartheid era, the ANC continues to identify itself foremost as a liberation movement , although it is also a registered political party. Partly due to its Tripartite Alliance with the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions , it had retained a comfortable electoral majority at the national level and in most provinces, and has provided each of South Africa's five presidents since 1994. South Africa
9720-423: The ANC into disrepute and would face internal disciplinary proceedings. He was charged alongside league spokesman Floyd Shivambu , and all of the rest of the league's top leadership – deputy president Ronald Lamola , secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa , deputy secretary-general Kenetswe Mosenogi , and treasurer-general Pule Mabe – were later added to the charge sheet. When the hearing began on 30 August 2011 at
9882-430: The ANC president as the national president. The ANC has adhered to a formal policy of cadre deployment since 1985. In the post-apartheid era, the policy includes but is not exhausted by selection of candidates for elections and government positions: it also entails that the central organisation "deploys" ANC members to various other strategic positions in the party, state, and economy. The ANC prides itself on being
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#173277606503810044-509: The ANC president to publish annually a so-called January 8 Statement: a reflective letter sent to members on 8 January, the anniversary of the organisation's founding. In earlier years, the ANC published a range of periodicals , the most important of which was the monthly journal Sechaba (1967–1990), printed in the German Democratic Republic and banned by the apartheid government. The ANC's Radio Freedom also gained
10206-612: The ANC reduced its presence inside South Africa, however, MK cadres were increasingly confined to training camps in Tanzania and neighbouring countries – with such exceptions as the Wankie Campaign , a momentous military failure. In 1969, Tambo was compelled to call the landmark Morogoro Conference to address the grievances of the rank-and-file, articulated by Chris Hani in a memorandum which depicted MK's leadership as corrupt and complacent. Although MK's malaise persisted into
10368-607: The ANC since 18 December 2017. Founded on 8 January 1912 in Bloemfontein as the South African Native National Congress , the organisation was formed to advocate for the rights of black South Africans . When the National Party government came to power in 1948 , the ANC's central purpose became to oppose the new government's policy of institutionalised apartheid . To this end, its methods and means of organisation shifted; its adoption of
10530-608: The ANC was attracting individuals who viewed the party as "a route to power and self-enrichment." He added that the ANC leadership "did not know how to deal with this problem." During a lecture on 10 December, Mbeki reiterated concerns about "careerists" within the party, and stressed the need to "purge itself of such members". In May 2024, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in association with amaBhungane showed in documents that R200 million in
10692-636: The ANC's 53rd National Conference . In April of that year, months before the conference was due to take place, Malema was expelled from the ANC for bringing the party into disrepute. The following year, he founded the EFF, and was elected to the National Assembly in 2014 , winning 25 seats in the assembly. Malema has been embroiled in a variety of legal issues throughout his political career: he has been convicted of hate speech twice, once in March 2010 for demeaning comments about Zuma's rape accuser , and again in September 2011 for singing " Dubul' ibhunu " ("Shoot
10854-460: The ANC's National Disciplinary Committee, then chaired by Derek Hanekom and staffed by various ANC leaders viewed as unsympathetic towards Malema; Malema was represented in the proceedings by ANC Treasurer-General Mathews Phosa . In May 2010, Malema reached a plea bargain with the disciplinary committee. As part of the deal, he was required to pay a R 10,000 fine to a youth development project, to attend anger management classes, and to attend
11016-565: The ANC's decisions, suggesting that "the likelihood of him respecting the ANC Constitution is remote". On 24 April 2012, Malema exhausted the appeals process when the chairperson of the internal appeals committee, Cyril Ramaphosa , confirmed that his expulsion had been upheld. Following his expulsion from the ANC, Malema was a prominent figure in criticising the government's actions during the August 2012 Marikana massacre . Visiting
11178-689: The ANC's election fund was siphoned off to the church of controversial archbishop Bheki Lukhele in Eswatini; the Chief Financial Officer of the ANC, Bongani Mahlalela along with the Ambassador of Eswatini to Belgium, Sibusisiwe Mngomezulu , were implicated in the scheme. In late 2011 the ANC was heavily criticised over the passage of the Protection of State Information Bill , which opponents claimed would improperly restrict
11340-413: The ANC's headquarters at Luthuli House in central Johannesburg, a rally of Malema's supporters devolved into violence as some of those present broke through the police barricades and threw glass bottles and stones at police officers and journalists. The police dispersed the gathering with a water cannon , mace , and a warning shot . The violence was condemned by senior ANC leaders and Malema addressed
11502-428: The ANC's political school for 20 days. He was also required to issue an unconditional public apology to Zuma, the ANC, and the public for having publicly undermined Zuma in the aftermath of Zuma's rebuke. Most of the charges against him were withdrawn, but he was formally found guilty, in relation to his public attack on Zuma, for having provoked division within the ANC in contravention of the party's constitution . Under
11664-403: The ANC, as it was no longer the party that he and Nelson Mandela fought for. He stated that the party had lost its way, and was in danger of becoming a corrupt entity in power. Julius Malema Julius Sello Malema (born 3 March 1981) is a South African politician. He is the founder and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a populist far-left political party known for
11826-488: The ANC, for the first time, to the sustained use of mass mobilisation techniques like strikes, stay-aways, and boycotts. This culminated in the 1952–53 Defiance Campaign , a campaign of mass civil disobedience organised by the ANC, the Indian Congress , and the coloured Franchise Action Council in protest of six apartheid laws. The ANC's membership swelled. In June 1955, it was one of the groups represented at
11988-558: The ANC, hold senior positions in the ANC, and influence party policy. However, the SACP, in particular, has frequently threatened to field its own candidates, and in 2017 it did so for the first time, running against the ANC in by-elections in the Metsimaholo municipality, Free State . Under South Africa's closed- list proportional representation electoral system, parties have immense power in selecting candidates for legislative bodies. The ANC's internal candidate selection process
12150-500: The ANC, including Mining Minister Susan Shabangu , and President Zuma, made it clear that this was not ANC policy, Malema has continued to advocate this position. His opinions on nationalisation are shared by South Africa's large National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). At a public meeting at the University of Western Cape, Malema asked: "Why should we pay for our land?" He then advocated the seizure of land without compensation and
12312-467: The ANCYL to its elective conference. The ANC National Executive Committee finally dissolved/disbanded the ANCYL NEC, due to many of its failures. The ANC appointed a National Youth Task Team to oversee the affairs of ANC Youth League and take it conference. The task team consisted of the ANC's own NEC and NWC members who were above the age of 35 - which is the constitutional ceiling of the ANCYL. In 2020
12474-527: The MDC for having offices in affluent Sandton and became enraged when Fisher interjected to point out that Malema himself lived in Sandton. During the ensuing exchange, Malema called Fisher a "bastard", a "bloody agent", and a "small boy". The following day, Malema said that he was "not remorseful", describing Fisher as "disrespectful" and the United Kingdom as a country "whose media always undermine
12636-427: The Nation address, and later that year, explaining that it had been adopted as ANC policy and therefore as government policy, defined it as entailing "fundamental change in the structures, systems, institutions and patterns of ownership and control of the economy, in favour of all South Africans, especially the poor". Arguments for RET were closely associated with the rhetorical concept of white monopoly capital . At
12798-602: The Northwest. Some allege that Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega and Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa gave the go ahead for the police action against the miners on that day. Commissioner Phiyega of the ANC came under further criticism as being insensitive and uncaring when she was caught smiling and laughing during the Farlam Commission 's video playback of the massacre. In 2014, Archbishop Desmond Tutu announced that he could no longer bring himself to vote for
12960-518: The People campaign and therefore symbolises a united and non-racial movement for freedom and equality. The logo uses the same colours as the ANC flag, which comprises three horizontal stripes of equal width in black, green and gold. The black symbolises the native people of South Africa; the green represents the land of South Africa; and the gold represents the country's mineral and other natural wealth. The black, green and gold tricolour also appeared on
13122-464: The Putin linked Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg , whilst the party's investment arm, Chancellor House , has a joint investment with Vekselberg in a South African manganese mine. The logo of the ANC incorporates a spear and shield – symbolising the historical and ongoing struggle, armed and otherwise, against colonialism and racial oppression – and a wheel, which is borrowed from the 1955 Congress of
13284-538: The South African government; he believed this explained the flaws in the South African response to the Libyan and Ivorian crises. Malema and the Youth League withdrew the statement about Botswana a fortnight later, but the Independent Online reported that his comments had "finally snapped the patience of the party's elders". On 22 August 2011, the ANC announced that Malema had been charged with bringing
13446-466: The South African media. Some analysts suggest this is also known as being a tenderpreneur , which is the early emergence of a form of kleptocracy , or predatory behaviour by a clique in the ruling elite, to generate personal wealth by capturing resources. In August 2010, the Public Protector released a report which cleared Malema of involvement in state tenders in Limpopo. The report
13608-480: The Youth League held from 29 June to 2 July 2023, Gauteng Youth League member Collen Malatji was elected as president with Phumzile Mgcina as deputy president. Mntuwoxolo Ngudle was elected Secretary-General. The League's constitution was also amended to allow for a second Deputy Secretary-General; Tsakani Shiviti and Olga Seate were then elected as the First and Second Secretaries-General, respectively. Zwelo Masilela
13770-542: The affairs of young people, as the youth are capable of rebuilding their own structure. In early 2021 the NEC of the ANC was persuaded by the logic of the ANCYL Crisis Committee and disbanded the ANC National Youth Task Team and appointed a National Congress Preparatory Team led by Nonceba Mhlauli and Joy Maimela , as National convenor and coordinator respectively. During the 26th National Congress of
13932-401: The antidote as militant African nationalism." Lembede died in 1947. By the end of the 1940s, the Youth League had gained control of the African National Congress. It called for civil disobedience and strikes in protest at the hundreds of laws associated with the new apartheid system. These protests were often met with force by the South African Government. In 1950, 18 blacks were killed during
14094-552: The apartheid state. Initially, MK was not an official ANC body, nor had it been directly established by the ANC National Executive: it was considered an autonomous organisation, until such time as the ANC formally recognised it as its armed wing in October 1962. In the first half of the 1960s, MK was preoccupied with a campaign of sabotage attacks, especially bombings of unoccupied government installations. As
14256-414: The barrel of a gun". In response the ANC opened a case of treason against him. At a political rally in November 2016, Malema said that the EFF were "not calling for the slaughter of white people‚ at least for now". The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) criticised his "violent and threatening language". He repeated the sentiment in 2022, saying that he could not "guarantee I can't or won't call for
14418-412: The black majority even within a market-capitalist scheme. We must develop the capacity of government for strategic intervention in social and economic development. We must increase the capacity of the public sector to deliver improved and extended public services to all the people of South Africa. – 1994 Reconstruction and Development Programme Since 1994, consecutive ANC governments have held
14580-409: The border to target ANC members and ANC bases, as in the 1981 raid on Maputo , 1983 raid on Maputo , and 1985 raid on Gaborone . During this period, MK activities led the governments of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan to condemn the ANC as a terrorist organisation. In fact, neither the ANC nor Mandela were removed from the U.S. terror watch list until 2008. The animosity of Western regimes
14742-522: The country from all forms of discrimination and national oppression". It also continues to claim the Freedom Charter of 1955 as "the basic policy document of the ANC". However, as NEC member Jeremy Cronin noted in 2007, the various broad principles of the Freedom Charter have been given different interpretations, and emphasised to differing extents, by different groups within the organisation. Nonetheless, some basic commonalities are visible in
14904-524: The credibility and integrity of African leaders". The ANC condemned his conduct in a statement. On 10 April 2010, Zuma held a press conference in Durban to address these and other recent controversies involving Malema. The press conference was later remembered as a turning point in the relationship between Zuma and Malema, constituting the strongest rebuke yet offered by the former of the latter. In connection with " Dubul' ibhunu ", Zuma said that defying
15066-499: The crowd to appeal for restraint. On 10 November, the ANC National Disciplinary Committee, still chaired by Derek Hanekom, announced that it had found Malema guilty of contravening the party constitution for his remarks about Botswana, including those "which sought to portray the ANC government and its leadership under President Zuma in a negative light in relation to the African agenda and which had
15228-541: The death of Eugène Terre'Blanche ( see below ) . Second, from 2 to 5 April 2010, Malema led an ANC Youth League delegation on a controversial working visit to Zimbabwe. The league said that it aimed to use the trip to strengthen its relationship with the ZANU-PF Youth League, as well as to conduct a fact-finding mission on indigenisation . Malema met with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and other ZANU-PF politicians, and in public statements he
15390-476: The debate over GEAR raged, the ANC declared itself (in 2004) a social-democratic party, and it was at that time presiding over phenomenal expansions of its black economic empowerment programme and the system of social grants . As its name suggests, the RDP emphasised state-led development – that is, a developmental state – which the ANC has typically been cautious, at least in its rhetoric, to distinguish from
15552-535: The election results in court, but ultimately accepted the outcome – although in 2016 he continued to claim that the ANC had rigged the election in Gauteng . He was sworn in as a Member of the National Assembly on 21 May 2014. He was re-elected to the seat in the 2019 general election and has sat on various portfolio committees . Malema has been ejected from Parliament several times. In June 2014, he
15714-449: The end of apartheid. Indeed, the pursuit of the NDR is one of the primary objectives of the ANC as set out in its constitution. As with the Freedom Charter, the ambiguity of the NDR has allowed it to bear varying interpretations. For example, whereas SACP theorists tend to emphasise the anti-capitalist character of the NDR, some ANC policymakers have construed it as implying the empowerment of
15876-419: The executive together with many others. Its foundation in 1944 by A. P. Mda , Anton Lembede , Mxolisi Majombozi , Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo marked the rise of a new generation of leaders. The first President of the league was Anton Lembede who shaped its militancy. Mandela wrote that Lembede had a "magnetic personality who thought in original and often startling ways" and "Like Lembede I came to see
16038-568: The exiled ANC dedicated much of its attention to a campaign of sabotage and guerrilla warfare against the apartheid state, carried out under its military wing, uMkhonto we Sizwe , which was founded in 1961 in partnership with the South African Communist Party (SACP). The ANC was condemned as a terrorist organisation by the governments of South Africa, the United States , and the United Kingdom . However, it positioned itself as
16200-413: The expansion and entrenchment of pass laws . When Josiah Gumede took over as ANC president in 1927, he advocated for a strategy of mass mobilisation and cooperation with the Communist Party , but was voted out of office in 1930 and replaced with the traditionalist Seme, whose leadership saw the ANC's influence wane. In the 1940s, Alfred Bitini Xuma revived some of Gumede's programmes, assisted by
16362-627: The flag of the KwaZulu bantustan and appears on the flag of the ANC's rival, the IFP; and all three colours appear in the post-apartheid South African national flag . Since 1996, the ANC Department of Political Education has published the quarterly Umrabulo political discussion journal; and ANC Today , a weekly online newsletter, was launched in 2001 to offset the alleged bias of the press. In addition, since 1972, it has been traditional for
16524-531: The former South African President, was charged with fraud, bribery and corruption in the Arms Deal, but the charges were subsequently withdrawn by the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa due to their delay in prosecution. The ANC has also been criticised for its subsequent abolition of the Scorpions , the multidisciplinary agency that investigated and prosecuted organised crime and corruption, and
16686-488: The high court's ruling would contravene a direct instruction from the ANC and therefore would amount to "undermining the leadership of the ANC", would additionally "make a mockery of our judicial system ", and "should not be tolerated". He distanced himself from Malema's remarks about Zimbabwe, reiterating the ANC's commitment to impartiality in the Zimbabwean peace process, and said that Malema's treatment of Jonah Fisher
16848-485: The historical injustices perpetrated against the indigenous majority and thus lay the basis for a new – and deeper internationalist – approach". For the movement's intellectuals, the concept of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) was a means of reconciling the anti-apartheid and anti-colonial project with a second goal, that of establishing domestic and international socialism – the ANC
17010-489: The interest of the people as a whole". The proposed developmental state was also central to the ANC's campaign in the 2009 elections , and it remains a central pillar of the policy of the current government, which seeks to build a "capable and developmental" state. In this regard, ANC politicians often cite China as an aspirational example. A discussion document ahead of the ANC's 2015 National General Council proposed that: China['s] economic development trajectory remains
17172-617: The interests of the anti-apartheid movement. However, ongoing political violence , which the ANC attributed to a state-sponsored third force , led to recurrent tensions. Most dramatically, after the Boipatong massacre of June 1992, the ANC announced that it was withdrawing from negotiations indefinitely. It faced further casualties in the Bisho massacre , the Shell House massacre , and in other clashes with state forces and supporters of
17334-599: The interim Constitution, also included the National Party and IFP. The ANC has controlled the national government since then. In the post-apartheid era, several significant breakaway groups have been formed by former ANC members. The first is the Congress of the People , founded by Mosiuoa Lekota in 2008 in the aftermath of the Polokwane elective conference , when the ANC declined to re-elect Thabo Mbeki as its president and instead compelled his resignation from
17496-434: The introduction of workplace colour bar and urban and influx control between 1913 and 1926. Once the discussions of forming a youth league were concluded, the young leaders approached ANC president Dr. Alfred Bitini Xuma and made a proposal to form a youth league. Dr. Xuma had reservations about this league formation due to its militancy but allowed the issue to be debated at the 1943 ANC conference, which resolved to establish
17658-511: The judgement in the Constitutional Court. In November 2011 ANC Youth League president Julius Malema was suspended from the ruling party for two years, this sanction was suspended for three years. The finding and penalty relate to Malema, ANCYL deputy president Ronald Lamola, treasurer general Pule Mabe, secretary general Sindiso Magaqa and deputy secretary general Kenetswe Mosenogi. The youth league leaders were charged for bringing
17820-812: The largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance. These statements have drawn significant public criticism, and the ANC has on occasion distanced itself from Malema's remarks. Further statements made against the DA's leader in 2009, stating that they were "disgusted by remarks attributed to Helen Zille." These statements were in response to a statement by Zille that "Zuma is a self-confessed womaniser with deeply sexist views, who put all his wives at risk by having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman." The ANC Youth League has been widely criticized for these statements, and has thus far been unable to explain their meaning, including during appearances on Talk Radio 702,
17982-505: The latter half of the 1980s, a number of South African civilians were killed in these attacks, a reversal of the ANC's earlier reluctance to incur civilian casualties. Fatal attacks included the 1983 Church Street bombing , the 1985 Amanzimtoti bombing , the 1986 Magoo's Bar bombing , and the 1987 Johannesburg Magistrate's Court bombing . Partly in retaliation, the South African Defence Force increasingly crossed
18144-513: The leadership of the governing alliance " and most recently had attacked Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in the media. Nonetheless, following this announcement, Malema was involved in a further series of especially well publicised controversies later in March and in early April. The first concerned Malema's singing the controversial struggle song " Dubul' ibhunu " in defiance of a high court ruling, as well as related remarks by Malema about
18306-411: The league. Mbalula succeeded the student activist Malusi Gigaba , who went on to become deputy minister of home affairs. Mbalula had served as secretary general of the ANCYL under Gigaba's leadership. It was under Mbalula's leadership that the ANCYL took on a more visible role in defending Jacob Zuma , and publicly lobbying for his election as ANC president. The election of Julius Malema in April 2008
18468-503: The leagues are autonomous bodies with the scope to devise their own constitutions and policies; for the purpose of national conferences, they are treated somewhat like provinces, with voting delegates and the power to nominate leadership candidates. The ANC is recognised as the leader of a three-way alliance, known as the Tripartite Alliance , with the SACP and Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). The alliance
18630-418: The media that "even President Thabo Mbeki", Zuma's former political rival, had not responded so strongly in public "when he differed with the Youth League". The following week, the ANC announced that Malema would face formal internal disciplinary proceedings, with charges stemming from his public remarks about Zuma as well as from the incidents of ill discipline already noted by Zuma. The charges were pursued in
18792-628: The media that henceforth ANC members would be punished if they engaged in public feuds with or attacks on one another. At the same time, the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) released a statement which objected to "the lack of respect which some of the leaders and structures of our movement have for the NEC's decisions", describing it as incompatible with "the ANC's historical mission, its discipline and its protocols". News24 said that both statements were clearly directed at Malema, who had "bad-mouthed almost everyone in
18954-587: The multi-racial Congress of the People in Kliptown, Soweto , which ratified the Freedom Charter , from then onwards a fundamental document in the anti-apartheid struggle . The Charter was the basis of the enduring Congress Alliance , but was also used as a pretext to prosecute hundreds of activists, among them most of the ANC's leadership, in the Treason Trial . Before the trial was concluded,
19116-536: The national presidency. The second breakaway is the Economic Freedom Fighters , founded in 2013 after youth leader Julius Malema was expelled from the ANC. Before these, the most important split in the ANC's history occurred in 1959, when Robert Sobukwe led a splinter faction of African nationalists to the new Pan Africanist Congress . uMkhonto weSizwe rose to prominence in December 2023, when former president Jacob Zuma announced that, while planning to remain
19278-438: The neighbouring concept of a welfare state . In the mid-2000s, during Mbeki's second term, the notion of a developmental state was revived in South African political discourse when the national economy worsened; and the 2007 National Conference whole-heartedly endorsed developmentalism in its policy resolutions, calling for a state "at the centre of a mixed economy... which leads and guides that economy and which intervenes in
19440-465: The new political party. Malema's visit to Nigerian religious leader T.B. Joshua for 'spiritual blessings' in August 2013 with some EFF members also elicited controversy and media attention. At the party's inaugural national elective conference in Bloemfontein in December 2014, Malema was elected, unopposed, as president of the EFF. Floyd Shivambu, who was ejected from the ANC Youth League at
19602-612: The organisation's policies and leaders. They do so primarily by electing delegates to the National Conference , which is currently convened every five years. Between conferences, the organisation is led by its 86-member National Executive Committee , which is elected at each conference. The most senior members of the National Executive Committee are the so-called Top Six officials, the ANC president primary among them. A symmetrical process occurs at
19764-427: The original disciplinary committee's three-year suspension. Following the above, the league started to experience a devastating decline in support and popularity among young people. The league was ultimately taken to its 25th National conference in 2015, which elected Collen and Njabulo Nzuza as President and Secretary General respectively. The duo and their collective failed to live up to expectations and failed to take
19926-436: The party into disrepute after saying earlier this year that the ANCYL would send a team to Botswana to consolidate local opposition parties and help bring about regime change there. Following that finding, Julius Malema was found guilty of provoking divisions within the ruling party and of bringing the organisation into disrepute. As a result, ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema had to "vacate his position". On 30 March 2011,
20088-476: The party, following the conclusion of his presidency, for ignoring instances of corruption and mismanagement, whilst allowing for the growth of a culture of racial and ideological intolerance. The most prominent corruption case involving the ANC relates to a series of bribes paid to companies involved in the ongoing R55 billion Arms Deal saga , which resulted in a long term jail sentence to then Deputy President Jacob Zuma 's legal adviser Schabir Shaik . Zuma,
20250-409: The policy and ideological preferences of the organisation's mainstream. The ANC is committed to the ideal of non-racialism and to opposing "any form of racial, tribalistic or ethnic exclusivism or chauvinism". The 1969 Morogoro Conference committed the ANC to a "national democratic revolution [which] – destroying the existing social and economic relationship – will bring with it a correction of
20412-461: The poor. This has resulted in the " No Land! No House! No Vote! " Campaign which became very prominent during elections. In 2018, the New York Times reported on the killings of ANC corruption whistleblowers. During an address on 28 October 2021, former president Thabo Mbeki commented on the history of corruption within the ANC. He reflected that Mandela had already warned in 1997 that
20574-421: The potential to sow division and disunity in the ANC". Hanekom said that Malema's remarks had been "reckless and baseless" and had "damaged the standing of the ANC and South Africa's international reputation", though he was found not guilty on separate charges of racism and inciting hatred. Shivambu was likewise found guilty of an offence for issuing the league's statement on Botswana, as well as for swearing at
20736-505: The provision of basic services, including health and education. Although the RDP was abandoned in 1996, these three channels of state economic intervention have remained mainstays of subsequent ANC policy frameworks. In 1996, Mandela's government replaced the RDP with the Growth Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) programme, which was maintained under President Thabo Mbeki , Mandela's successor. GEAR has been characterised as
20898-529: The red berets and military-style outfits worn by its members. Before the foundation of EFF, he served as president of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) from 2008 until his expulsion from the party in 2012. As a child, Malema joined the ANC and was a highly engaged member growing up; he was ultimately elected president of its Youth League in April 2008 under controversial circumstances. While president, he
21060-400: The removal of the "willing buyer, willing seller" principle. At a 16 June Youth Day celebration, Malema accused white South Africans of "stealing land" and again advocated for the redistribution of land without compensation. In April 2010 Malema led a youth delegation to Venezuela to study that country's nationalisation programme. In early 2010, Malema urged ANC Youth League members to join
21222-565: The run-up to the next national league conference, a series of highly contested provincial conferences were held. In Malema's home province of Limpopo, the conference degenerated into violence, and Malema reportedly had police eject his rivals and journalists from the venue. Nonetheless, at the Youth League's national elective conference in Midrand on 17 June 2011, Malema was elected to a second term as league president. He stood unopposed after his presumptive opponent, Lebogang Maile , declined
21384-517: The saga, Anton Alberts of the opposition Freedom Front Plus called on the ANC to recognise Malema as "a dilemma which can no longer be ignored". Malema is a vocal advocate of nationalising South African mines . He first called for nationalisation in July 2009 at a Youth League rally in Krugersdorp , and he argued that the Freedom Charter entailed a pro-nationalisation platform. Although
21546-481: The same time as Malema, was elected his deputy. Both Malema and Shivambu were re-elected unopposed in December 2019. Floyd Shivambu joined Jacob Zuma 's MK Party on 15 August 2024. In the 2014 general election , less than a year after the party's launch, the EFF won 25 seats in the National Assembly , the lower house of the South African Parliament. Malema initially threatened to challenge
21708-611: The scene of the shootings, he called for Zuma's resignation and the establishment of a commission of inquiry; Al Jazeera wondered whether the controversy over Marikana would help resurrect his political career. He also made controversial remarks during a visit to Zimbabwe in October 2012, saying that white people in Africa had appropriated mineral resources belonging to indigenous people and that compensating those affected by land expropriation would be tantamount to "thanking them with money for killing our people". He said, "Seeing blood
21870-623: The seats in Parliament . A successor of the Cape Colony 's Imbumba Yamanyama organisation, the ANC was founded as the South African Native National Congress in Bloemfontein on 8 January 1912, and was renamed the African National Congress in 1923. Pixley ka Isaka Seme , Sol Plaatje , John Dube , and Walter Rubusana founded the organisation, who, like much of the ANC's early membership, were from
22032-428: The slaughter of white people" at some point in the future. In 2018, at another rally, Malema referred to plans to remove Athol Trollip from his position as mayor of Nelson Mandela Municipality as plans for "cutting the throat of whiteness". DA leader Mmusi Maimane labelled Malema's words "racist attacks" and "racist hatred". Following the death of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in 2019, Malema tweeted
22194-420: The socioeconomic inequalities created by colonialism and apartheid, and to promote economic growth and development ; state intervention was judged a necessary step towards both goals. Specifically, the state was to intervene in the economy through three primary channels: a land reform programme ; a degree of economic planning , through industrial and trade policy; and state investments in infrastructure and
22356-571: The subnational levels: each of the nine provincial executive committees and regional executive committees are elected at provincial and regional elective conferences respectively, also attended by branch delegates; and branch officials are elected at branch general meetings. The ANC has three leagues: the Women's League , the Youth League and the Veterans' League . Under the ANC constitution,
22518-418: The support of outgoing league president Fikile Mbalula , while outgoing league secretary-general Sihle Zikalala supported the more moderate candidate, Saki Mofokeng. Following an extremely heated campaign and a disorderly plenary, Malema was elected ANC Youth League president at the league's 23rd National Conference in Bloemfontein in April 2008. He received 1,833 votes against Mofokeng's 1,696 votes and
22680-595: The techniques of mass politics , and the swelling of its membership, culminated in the Defiance Campaign of civil disobedience in 1952–53. The ANC was banned by the South African government between April 1960 – shortly after the Sharpeville massacre – and February 1990. During this period, despite periodic attempts to revive its domestic political underground, the ANC was forced into exile by increasing state repression, which saw many of its leaders imprisoned on Robben Island . Headquartered in Lusaka, Zambia ,
22842-400: The terms of the plea bargain, the National Disciplinary Committee ruled that Malema's ANC membership would be summarily suspended if he was found guilty of repeating this offence within the next two years. In the spring of 2009, Malema emerged as a vociferous public defender of South African runner Caster Semenya during the international controversy about Semenya's gender that unfolded after
23004-570: The war. African National Congress The African National Congress ( ANC ) is a political party in South Africa . It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election resulted in Nelson Mandela being elected as President of South Africa . Cyril Ramaphosa , the incumbent national President, has served as President of
23166-514: The wards. After the election, Malema launched a programme of school visits in an apparent attempt to reach the country's youth. Kgalema Motlanthe , then the ANC deputy president and Deputy President of South Africa , criticised the visits as disruptive to the students' education. Although Malema remained an ally of Zuma in the months after his election as President of South Africa in May 2009, they fell out publicly by mid-2010. Malema later explained that he had turned on Zuma when he realised Zuma
23328-414: Was "regrettable and unacceptable, regardless of any provocation on [Fisher's] part". More broadly, Zuma described Malema's recent conduct as "alien to the ANC", reminded the Youth League that it was subject to the ANC's rules and policies, and implied that Malema would be subject to internal disciplinary procedures. In the aftermath of Zuma's press conference, Malema remained defiant and was quoted telling
23490-495: Was a police state . In September 2015, he was forcibly removed from the house by the sergeant-at-arms , and subsequently suspended for five days, after refusing to retract the accusation that Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was a "murderer" because of his actions during the Marikana massacre. He was forcibly ejected again during Zuma's State of the Nation addresses in 2016 and 2017. On 23 August 2018, Malema spoke out against
23652-510: Was a strong supporter of ANC president Jacob Zuma and an outspoken critic of former ANC president Thabo Mbeki . In June 2008, he defended Zuma – then facing prosecution on corruption charges – at a rally in Thaba 'Nchu, Free State , famously (and to broad condemnation) announcing, "We are prepared to die for Zuma... We are prepared to take up arms and kill for Zuma". In September, he vowed to "eliminate any force" that sought to block Zuma from
23814-456: Was an early proponent of nationalising South Africa's mining industry and expropriating land without compensation . He rose to national prominence as an outspoken supporter of Jacob Zuma , then-ANC president and later President of South Africa . However, Malema's relationship with Zuma strained immensely following numerous disciplinary deliberations against him by the ANC; by 2012, he was campaigning for Zuma to be removed from office, ahead of
23976-532: Was an extremely controversial topic within the organisation. Following preliminary contact between the ANC and representatives of the state, business, and civil society, President F. W. de Klerk announced in February 1990 that the government would unban the ANC and other banned political organisations, and that Mandela would be released from prison. Some ANC leaders returned to South Africa from exile for so-called "talks about talks", which led in 1990 and 1991 to
24138-473: Was complimentary of ZANU-PF, comparing it favourably to Morgan Tsvangirai 's Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). His statements sparked fears in some quarters that the ANC would attempt to imitate ZANU-PF's Land reform in Zimbabwe programme ; there were also concerns that Malema's partisan comments would undermine ongoing efforts by Zuma's government to broker
24300-430: Was dismissed, but the committee said that it would allow him to present arguments in respect of mitigation of sanction . Following further oral arguments, on 29 February, the committee released its decision, which not only dismissed Malema's arguments on mitigation but expelled him from the party entirely. The committee said that, in addition to being a repeat offender, Malema had shown no remorse and had refused to accept
24462-466: Was dominated by conservative and older generation who cannot relate to the youth. This "older generation" had used deputations and delegations to try to get the Union government to grant equal rights to all but it became increasingly clear that this tactic was ineffective. Since the formation of the ANC in 1912, the disenfranchisement of black people had taken place and expanded through laws such as land acts,
24624-584: Was ejected from the State of the Nation debate after he refused to withdraw a statement to the effect that the ANC government had murdered mineworkers during the Marikana massacre . He and several other EFF members were ejected from Zuma's 2015 State of the Nation address after they loudly insisted that they be permitted to question Zuma about the Nkandlagate scandal ; Malema said in response that South Africa
24786-468: Was elected Treasurer-General. Past leaders of the ANCYL include: The Youth League generated significant controversy in 2008 when its president publicly declared its willingness to use violence to prevent Jacob Zuma's being prosecuted for corruption charges, stating that the Youth League was "prepared to take up arms and kill for Zuma". In further remarks, Julius Malema has called for the elimination of so-called "counter-revolutionary" forces, which include
24948-403: Was elected alongside a slate of allies, including Andile Lungisa as deputy president. The outcome of the vote was immediately disputed, including by conference delegates who claimed that incidents of intimidation had prevented them from voting. The conference devolved into disorder, with some delegates throwing chairs, and adjourned without concluding its business. Malema later criticised
25110-473: Was elected as national president of COSAS in 2001. In May of the following year, he led a COSAS students' march through Johannesburg ; the march was marked by incidents of violence and looting . Malema matriculated from Mohlakaneng High School in Seshego. In 2010, he completed a two-year diploma in youth development through the University of South Africa (UNISA). Also at UNISA, he subsequently completed
25272-476: Was formalised in mid-1990, after the ANC was unbanned, but has deeper historical roots: the SACP had worked closely with the ANC in exile, and COSATU had aligned itself with the Freedom Charter and Congress Alliance in 1987. The membership and leadership of the three organisations has traditionally overlapped significantly. The alliance constitutes a de facto electoral coalition: the SACP and COSATU do not contest in government elections, but field candidates through
25434-619: Was heavily involved in the investigation into Zuma and Shaik. Tony Yengeni , in his position as chief whip of the ANC and head of the Parliaments defence committee has recently been named as being involved in bribing the German company ThyssenKrupp over the purchase of four corvettes for the SANDF. Other corruption issues in the 2000s included the sexual misconduct and criminal charges of Beaufort West municipal manager Truman Prince , and
25596-478: Was incapable of fulfilling the left-wing policy agenda that had secured his election as ANC president in 2007 ; according to Malema, Zuma took a harsher stance towards the league only after it rejected him. According to an alternative interpretation, however, Zuma adjusted his stance towards Malema and the league in 2010 – notably by instituting disciplinary proceedings against Malema ( see below ) – because he realised that Malema's outspoken militancy constituted
25758-638: Was initially disputed after a bitterly contested election with Saki Mofokeng. In November 2011, Julius Malema was found guilty of provoking divisions within the ruling party and of bringing the organisation into disrepute, and was suspended for five years. Subsequent appeal processes changed the suspension to expulsion. On 24 April 2012 the appeal process ended when the National Disciplinary Committee of Appeal confirmed Malema's expulsion with immediate effect. The appeal committee also confirmed league spokesperson Floyd Shivambu 's three-year suspension and suspended secretary general Sindiso Magaqa for one year, reducing
25920-400: Was owned by and located next door to controversial cigarette businessman and Carnilinx company executive Adriano Mazzotti . The article also stated that Mazzotti donated R200,000 to the EFF for the party's electoral registration for the 2019 election and that fellow Carnilinx executive Kyle Phillips gave a R1 million loan to Malema. Malema stated that his wife rented the property and laid
26082-535: Was partly explained by the Cold War context, and by the considerable amount of support – both financial and technical – that the ANC received from the Soviet Union . From the mid-1980s, as international and internal opposition to apartheid mounted, elements of the ANC began to test the prospects for a negotiated settlement with the South African government, although the prudence of abandoning armed struggle
26244-451: Was to remove National Party posters. He has claimed to have received military training at the age of 13 but this claim has been disputed for lack of corroborating witnesses. In 1995, Malema joined the ANC Youth League and became the chairperson of his local branch in Seshego and of the regional branch in broader Capricorn . In 1997, he became the provincial chairperson of the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) in Limpopo. He
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