Malema: Too many whites

Johannesburg - ANC Youth League (ANCYL) leader Julius Malema wants to know why all the security cluster ministers are black while the economics cluster ministers are appointed from minority groups.

"We [black people] cannot just be reduced to security and the very important issue of economy is given to minorities," he told reporters in Johannesburg on Thursday.

"Minister of police, minister of intelligence, minister of justice - [they are] all Africans. But in the economics cluster, it's minorities."

Malema was responding to a question on whether the ANCYL welcomed the appointment of Gill Marcus as SA Reserve Bank governor.

"We welcome that... but we would have expected once again an African child to occupy that strategic position...

"We need to build confidence in the markets that Africans are also capable of handling strategic positions in the economic sector," said Malema.

Otherwise, black youths will not believe that they could one day work in strategic economic positions.

"[The youth will think], because she [Marcus] is white, they [whites] are born like that, there's no way I can be like that."

Malema said even former finance minister Trevor Manuel first had to prove himself.

"Once, a British guy was even saying Trevor Manuel is white. They never believe a black person can do what he [Manuel] is doing."

Nathi Mthethwa, Jeff Radebe and Siyabonga Cwele are the ministers of police, justice and state security while Pravin Gordhan and Ebrahim Patel are the ministers of finance and economic development.

Malema said he was planning to take this up within the ruling party.

- Sapa