ANC Youth League president Julius Malema has delved into racial politics with a suggestion that the composition of government's finance cluster is not black enough.

ANC Youth League president Julius Malema has delved into racial politics with a suggestion that the composition of government's finance cluster is not black enough.

The cluster is made up of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies, Reserve Bank Governor-designate Gill Marcus and National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel.

Malema said the appointment of Indians and Coloureds to the cluster perpetuates the stereotype that Africans were incapable of running a successful modern economy.

"Some of us subscribe to African leadership and our worry is that in the economic sector, we have seen an emergence of minorities there.

"Our question is why is African leadership not given opportunities to occupy strategic positions in the economic sector.

"If you look at the security cluster, it's all Africans. Are we being reduced to security guards?"

Malema said the appointment of Africans in the economic cluster would encourage pupils to study accounting and economics.

"We welcome the appointment of Marcus. But we had expected that an African would occupy that position to build confidence that Africans are also capable of handling strategic positions in the economic sector.''

He said President Jacob Zuma should have resisted the assumption that the appointment of an African governor would lead to the collapse of the markets and a decline in investor confidence.

"It took market analysts a long time to accept Manuel. We should not fuel the perception that a strong economy is that which is led by minorities."