ANC stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela says ANC Youth League president Julius Malema is the pride of the country
Madikizela-Mandela, addressing the final day of the ANCYL's congress yesterday, said people who undermined Malema were "rudely shaken" by the results.
"Like it or not you ignore him at your peril," she said.
Malema was re-elected unopposed after Gauteng ANCYL chairperson Lebogang Maile declined nomination.
Madikizela-Mandela praised both Maile and Malema for avoiding a tussle for the position.
Madikizela-Mandela compared Maile and Malema's "political maturity and comradeship" to that of ANC stalwarts Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo.
Deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe congratulated the league for holding an "incident free" congress. He challenged delegates to emulate the generation of June 16 1976.
"In substance, the set of challenges that faced the youths of both generations is evidently different," Motlanthe said.
"While the energies of the June 1976 generation were consumed by the urge to be free from apartheid oppression, the primary object of the post-94 youth is, of necessity, the task of achieving a united, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa.
"June is, metaphorically, the season during which the past generation hands over the baton to the new generation that is gathering to elect the new leadership in this place today," Motlanthe said.
He told the newly elected leadership to mend relationships with members who might have had a different preference on who should lead the ANCYL.
"Elective conferences are not about out-muscling each other in a show of force but is a means of strengthening the organisation through democratic engagement.
"Another important point to remember as we begin the historical task of leading the ANCYL is the realisation that as an organisation we are defined by the principle of unity," he added.
"Therefore the immediate challenge for any new leadership that emerges out of an elective conference is to go back to the structures of the organisation to instil a sense of unity and discipline."
Motlanthe received huge applause when he touched on the land issue.
The ANCYL has taken a resolution to "reclaim the land to its rightful owners. As it turned out, today, June 19, marks a very important day in our country's history.
"On this day on 19 June 1913 the South African government passed the 1913 Land Act, which dispossessed Africans of 77percent of their land.
"The loss of land meant all other resources relating to land, such as livestock and seeds, were also no longer accessible, thus snuffing out the only means Africans had of fending for themselves," he said.
Motlanthe said the 1913 Land Act had devastating consequences on the black majority which are still evident to this day.
"It is indeed impossible to reflect on the effects of colonial dispossession of African land without reference to this historical development," he said.
"As we approach the centenary of the 1913 Land Act in 2013, we need to have some meaningful debates about acceleration of land restitution within our constitutional framework."
Re-elected league leader pride of the nation - Winnie
ANC stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela says ANC Youth League president Julius Malema is the pride of the country
Madikizela-Mandela, addressing the final day of the ANCYL's congress yesterday, said people who undermined Malema were "rudely shaken" by the results.
"Like it or not you ignore him at your peril," she said.
Malema was re-elected unopposed after Gauteng ANCYL chairperson Lebogang Maile declined nomination.
Madikizela-Mandela praised both Maile and Malema for avoiding a tussle for the position.
Madikizela-Mandela compared Maile and Malema's "political maturity and comradeship" to that of ANC stalwarts Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo.
Deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe congratulated the league for holding an "incident free" congress. He challenged delegates to emulate the generation of June 16 1976.
"In substance, the set of challenges that faced the youths of both generations is evidently different," Motlanthe said.
"While the energies of the June 1976 generation were consumed by the urge to be free from apartheid oppression, the primary object of the post-94 youth is, of necessity, the task of achieving a united, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa.
"June is, metaphorically, the season during which the past generation hands over the baton to the new generation that is gathering to elect the new leadership in this place today," Motlanthe said.
He told the newly elected leadership to mend relationships with members who might have had a different preference on who should lead the ANCYL.
"Elective conferences are not about out-muscling each other in a show of force but is a means of strengthening the organisation through democratic engagement.
"Another important point to remember as we begin the historical task of leading the ANCYL is the realisation that as an organisation we are defined by the principle of unity," he added.
"Therefore the immediate challenge for any new leadership that emerges out of an elective conference is to go back to the structures of the organisation to instil a sense of unity and discipline."
Motlanthe received huge applause when he touched on the land issue.
The ANCYL has taken a resolution to "reclaim the land to its rightful owners. As it turned out, today, June 19, marks a very important day in our country's history.
"On this day on 19 June 1913 the South African government passed the 1913 Land Act, which dispossessed Africans of 77percent of their land.
"The loss of land meant all other resources relating to land, such as livestock and seeds, were also no longer accessible, thus snuffing out the only means Africans had of fending for themselves," he said.
Motlanthe said the 1913 Land Act had devastating consequences on the black majority which are still evident to this day.
"It is indeed impossible to reflect on the effects of colonial dispossession of African land without reference to this historical development," he said.
"As we approach the centenary of the 1913 Land Act in 2013, we need to have some meaningful debates about acceleration of land restitution within our constitutional framework."
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