South Africa: Former Youth Leader Replies to Party

South Africa: Former Youth Leader Replies to Party - NYTimes


Julius Malema, the former leader of the Youth League of the African National Congress, fired back at the party that expelled him Wednesday, telling government radio that he was “not a soldier who is prepared to fall in the battle, I will die with my boots on.” Despite a rowdy show of support from close allies in his home province of Limpopo, response to his expulsion was relatively muted. Mr. Malema’s controversial proposals, like nationalizing the country’s mines, won some support among the impoverished youth, but his criticism of President Jacob Zuma landed him in front of a party disciplinary tribunal. Mr. Malema was initially suspended from the party for five years, but an appeals committee increased the penalty to expulsion, arguing that he showed no remorse.