Zuma: Don't be afraid of Malema

Pietermaritzburg - President Jacob Zuma was on Wednesday at pains to reassure farmers, businesspeople and traditional leaders that ANC Youth League president Julius Malema’s utterances on nationalisation of land and mines were not the policies of the ANC.

This came after a businessperson described Malema as the “scary face of the ANC’’ because of his utterances.

Zuma was speaking during a breakfast meeting in Greytown before he embarked on the second phase of his campaign trail in different parts of KwaZulu-Natal, ahead of next week’s local government elections.

Greytown farmers and businesspeople asked the ANC government to create conducive conditions for them to be able to do business and stop Malema's continued threats of nationalisation.

“What Malema said (on nationalisation) is not the policies of the ANC. In the ANC it’s not individuals who decide policies, but we hold a policy conference a year before the national elective conference where we discuss policy,” Zuma said.

“Nationalisation had been discussed within the ANC for decades … When (former president Nelson) Mandela was released from prison in the 1990s we also discussed this issue and we came out with a decision to adopt a mixed economy policy, which is still the ANC’s and government’s position at the moment,” he said.

“It was also raised during last year’s NGC (national general council) meeting in Durban and it was decided that the ANC will appoint a team of experts to do investigations around nationalisation and it will be mooted at the policy conference later this year,” he said.

"Do not be afraid of what Malema is saying as it is not the policies of the ANC," said Zuma.

Zuma further explained that the constitution of South Africa was also clear on private property and for the ANC to nationalise land, it will have to amend the constitution.

Zuma's retirement plans

Talking about Greytown, Zuma said he has a blood connection with the town since his great-grandfather Inkosi Matomela Zuma is buried in the town. He appealed to businesspeople to do something to develop the town.

“After retirement I am planning to do something in this town to make it more vibrant. It is a town with great history, but less is done by businesspeople to market it to investors and tourists," he said.

During Zuma’s election campaign trail yesterday, he went to different areas in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands.

From Greytown, he went on to address an ANC rally at Nhlalakahle Township outside the town and then to another rally at Pomeroy.

He then flew by helicopter to Bergville, where he did a door-to-door campaign in the Phangweni area and addressed a mini rally before flying to Estcourt to another mini rally at Wembezi Sportsfield.

He rounded up the day’s work with a gala dinner with different stakeholders at Ladysmith Indoor Sport Centre.

During his addresses he warned voters against voting for opposition parties with a belief that strong opposition was vibrant for democracy, saying parties should be voted for their good policies instead.

- The Witness