Harare — ZIMBABWE is an inspiration to Africa in that it is wholly independent and divested itself of external control, South African youth leader Cde Julius Malema has said.

Addressing guests at the wedding of Zanu-PF youth league members, Tendai Wenyika and Mike Gava in Harare on Saturday, Cde Malema said South Africa had a lot to learn from Zimbabwe.

"We are coming here to Zimbabwe not because we are running away from problems, but to come and gain strength because what you have achieved is an inspiration to Africa.

"Don't listen to imperialist newspapers. You have achieved a lot. You are running your own country, you have been managing your own affairs and you are not controlled by foreigners. That is what we need in South Africa.

"So we came here just to seek an inspiration and wisdom so that when we go home, we can double the spirit of fighting against imperialist forces."

Cde Malema said the African struggle was not ambiguous as it had clear, set goals.

"Our struggle is a defined struggle. We are not a lost generation. We are asking what belongs to us. We are not asking for any favour neither are we victimising anybody."

He said the youths in South Africa were calling for whites to surrender land and minerals resources they hold because "when they came from Europe they did not carry any land into South Africa. What we are asking is for them to surrender our minerals because they did not come with any mineral. We want that land and those minerals for free because they never paid for those minerals."

He continued: "Actually they killed people to get that land and those minerals. We are not going to give them money when we take the land back because it will be like we are thanking them with money for killing our people. We will never do that, little did they know that we are not scared of blood. We are scared of defeat. We don't want to be defeated but seeing blood is not what we are scared of as long as that blood delivers what belongs to us we are prepared to go to that extent. Because it cannot be generations before us, which has failed to deliver what rightfully belongs to us and we equally fail the future generation. We want to be remembered as a generation of economic freedom fighters."

Malema said the youths would want to be remembered as a generation that delivered land and that delivered mineral resources to the indigenous people.

"There is no favour we are seeking from the UN, not from the AU. It's a rightful struggle we must fight. Anybody who seeks to explain to us, that we cannot achieve those things we want to achieve; you must characterise that person as a lost case and never consult with such individual because that person will derail your determination.

"You must move on and only carry along those who are prepared to fight. . . We are not a generation of mini-skirts. We are a generation that continues with the struggle of President Mugabe, of President Mandela. Comrades what we are doing with Tendai and Mike is not new. President Mugabe and President Mandela, they are former ANC Youth League both of them and we are just continuing with that relationship.

"They both went to Fort Hare University, they both engaged in a radical struggle. It's not like we are making something new. It's a continuation of those who came before us. It is that type of relationship that has managed to deliver democracy in Zimbabwe and in South Africa and if that relationship has managed to deliver political democracy, it means our relationship with Tendai and Mike will deliver economic freedom.

"President Mugabe ushered in political freedom; President Mandela ushered in political freedom . . . and they are relying on the young ones to continue with the struggle, therefore, we are not going to disappoint them," he said.

The former ANC Youth League president, who was ousted by the ANC leadership early this year, said he will never run away from problems he is facing in South Africa and was in Zimbabwe to gain strength to double his fight against 'imperialists' back home.

Malema is facing corruption charges, which his supporters have said are politically motivated.

The outspoken Malema said when he came to Harare last Friday to attend the Wenyika - Gava wedding, some people in South Africa speculated that he was seeking political asylum in Zimbabwe.

"We are here to support Cde Mike and Cde Tendai. We are here to celebrate a beautiful wedding so we left our political vocabulary at home. Today we are at a wedding and so we don't want to be talking a lot of politics. We want to dance and enjoy Zimbabwe and we want to see what Harare will offer us.

"We have been here many times with Minister Tyson but we have not received anything material. So we thought if we come for the wedding, we will leave with something that will strengthen the relationship between Zimbabwe and South Africa.

"Anyway, we are one people. When you stand here and you speak Shona, to me you sound like you speak Venda. You see medicine in Venda is 'mushonga' and in Shona its 'mushonga'. So essentially, we are one people. There is no South Africa and there is no Zimbabwe. There is Africa. We belong to one continent. We will forever treat each other as brothers and sisters because we belong to one continent.

"These borders you see are artificial demarcations imposed on us by imperialists. They are not of our own making and so we cannot use their gate to determine our relationship. Ours is a blood relationship and blood will remain thicker than water. That's what brings us together.

"When I was coming to this wedding in South Africa they said I was running away from problems and I was coming to seek asylum here in Zimbabwe little did they know that I will never run away from South Africa. I will never run away from problems because problems are my life. So running away from problems will be like running away from my life.

"Our life has been made problematic by the imperialistic forces and therefore we are always in serious conflict with them because they have created conflict," said Malema to deafening applause.

He added: "We are coming here to Zimbabwe not because we are running away from problems but to come and gain strength because what you have achieved is an inspiration to Africa. Don't listen to imperialist newspapers. You have achieved a lot. You are running your own country, you have been managing your own affairs and you are not controlled by foreigners. That is what we need in South Africa. So we came here just to seek an inspiration and wisdom so that when we go home, we can double the spirit of fighting against imperialist forces.

"When Minister Tyson stands here to speak, we get energised because we know that's what we want to achieve in South Africa. So rest assured we are part of your struggle.

"Tendai is a revolutionary. Mike is a revolutionary. Revolutionaries are marrying each other. Tendai is fearless. So when we heard that she was getting married we knew that we were going to a wedding of one of our own...," he said

"Speaking here as an unemployed fellow who got fired from work and is unable to commit more than what the minister (Minister Kasukuwere) has committed, I have made consultations with friendly forces here in Zimbabwe who are doing well in their own right in business and they have asked me to commit US$6 000 to you Tendai and Mike.

"Some people think we are playing with money here, we are not playing with money. This money we are giving to you is money you should use to start a family because you have organised a wedding, surely you don't have anything. So we are refunding you. The food we are eating here, we are refunding you," he said.

Malema left many people in stitches of laughter when he concluded saying: "The last point, comrade Marupeng (an ANY Youth League member) raised a very important point last night. She spoke about them (Mike and Tendai) having many kids and people laughed as if having many kids is a taboo.

"You must never be ashamed of having many kids; you must be ashamed of having many wives, not many kids. Many wives are not an alternative. Actually they spread diseases because that is multi-sexual relationship and they are not protected. Have many kids with one wife Mike.

"We want to see many kids, why? Because we must reproduce ourselves. For our ideas to be sustainable, we have to reproduce ourselves. In the whole of Africa, we are not more than one billion and the world has got seven billion people. In Africa we have not more than one billion people. What it means is that we have gone less than a billion people in Africa facing more than six billion. We have to be half of that so that our ideas can dominate. I know that in some instances size does not matter . . . but when it comes to a revolution, size matters."

The wedding was attended by senior Zanu-PF officials including Cde Nathan Shamuyarira and his wife, Cde David Parirenyatwa, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, Cde Chris Mutsvangwa and Cde Patrick Zhuwao and their wives.

Almost the entire ANC Youth League leadership also attended the wedding, which went well into the night.
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