Nzimande warns young lions over 'Freedom' marches

Blade Nzimande, the general secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP), has urged members of the ANC Youth League not to participate in planned marches for economic freedom, the Sowetan reported on Monday.

Nzimande said youth league members should not participate in “any march that will not make a difference” in their lives.

“Do not allow yourselves to be used by people with agendas that are not in your interest,” the newspaper quoted him as saying at the SACP’s sixth provincial congress in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

“We are not going to be supporting any march whose intention is malicious and is to undermine the authority of the ANC and the government.”

The “Economic Freedom Youth Mass Action” will take the form of protests on October 27 and 28 at Beyers Naude Square in central Johannesburg, the Chamber of Mines in Hollard street, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in Sandton and at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where a night vigil was planned.

The youth league would march for the nationalisation of mines, the expropriation of land without compensation, the banning of labour brokers, free education, decent housing, electricity for all formal and informal settlements and clean drinking water and sanitation.

Last week, the Congress of South African Trade Unions said it would join the youth league.

According to the Sowetan, the Young Communist League provincial organising secretary Mlondolozi Mkhize said its members would not participate in the march because it was aimed at undermining the ANC.

Mkhize said the march was a “struggle by [youth league leader Julius] Malema to demonstrate” how he can organise young people to insult the ANC and the government.—Sapa