Have mercy on those who live in masions, pleads Sexwale

HUMAN Settlements Minister and ANC NEC member Tokyo Sexwale threw down the gauntlet to President Jacob Zuma at the weekend and made a protracted appeal for mercy for embattled ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema.

His comments came just days after Zuma took issue with the ANC national working committee after “hearing in the corridors” that certain ANC leaders were suggesting a political solution be found to the Malema disciplinary process, but had failed to put such a request forward formally.

Zuma’s complaints followed an earlier public accusation by Winnie Madikizela- Mandela that the ruling party was ill treating Malema.

Facing his second set of misconduct charges, Malema could face suspension or expulsion from the ANC. The friction that had resulted was so grave that it was causing “war”, according to insiders.

During the week Sexwale, who is due to testify in Malema’s defence along with Madikizela-Mandela when the disciplinary hearing resumes , warned on television that the Malema affair was causing serious divisions within the party.

Speaking near Tsolo on Friday, Sexwale made an impassioned appeal for mercy for the ANCYL leader:

“This young man called Malema sometimes does things and speaks a lot. He sometimes lands himself in trouble. Thereafter [he] cries to us to retrieve him from the trouble he puts himself in ... We should not destroy him [Malema[ ... Please don’t throw them away they are too young.”

Occupy the Mansions

Sexwale was speaking to hundreds of people at the amaMpondomise heritage celebration at Nkosi Dalukhanyo Ngudle’s Kambi great place at Upper Mjika great place. The event was organised by Mhlontlo local municipality and traditional leaders.

Sexwale said although Malema made controversial utterances on sensitive issues, he needed to be guided, not destroyed.

“When you are young you go wrong – we fix you and you go wrong again and we fix you, not to destroy you. You cannot destroy a league. So, when they are wrong, just correct them,” he said.
Sexwale said neither he nor Malema had been born a Nelson Mandela.

Occupy the Mansions

“I was born Tokyo. I have my own failings, and Malema was not born Mandela or Sisulu. We do make mistakes,” he said.

He urged the elders to “listen to what the youth are saying because they are our future”.

(Well what he means is listen to the youth that live in mansions like me)

But at the same time, he said, “the youth must also listen to us”.
“The youth must listen to us because many times the things they are saying are ululwatha (rubbish) – [but] it’s because they are young.”

He added: “Normally, about 40 percent of what they are saying is right and about 60 percent of the time batheth’ulwatha (they talk rubbish). So that’s why we are going to teach them, so that the 60 percent of rubbish that is uttered declines. That is the task of leaders.”

He told the crowd that Police Minister Fikile Mbalula, the former ANCYL president, had been much like Malema in his youth but was now a changed person.

“You can now see where Mbaks [Mbalulu] is going. Yet it was not long ago, just five years ago – wow, Jola [Mbalula’s clan name] was spitting fire. Each time he spoke, we had to douse the fire and fix him and take him to task, but we never destroyed him.”

Sexwale said the ANC could have no doubts today about their actions regarding Mbalula, but could only be proud of crafting him into the leader he was.

“Look at him now. He made many mistakes as a youth. What would have happened had we destroyed him? We make a mistake and people say ‘let us destroy the individual’. No, no! It is not the way it should be.”

Tokyo said Malema was no different to how Mbalula or the late Peter Mokaba were as youth leaders and young people.... EHM Except for that R16 MILLION Mansion!!!

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