It is through the battle field that we are going to take back the land - Ronald Lamola

BY: LINDOKUHLE MNISI

The African National Congress Youth Leader convened a gathering at the University of SA (UNISA) addressing, among others, the policies they will be representing in the National Policy Conference that will take place in Midrand next week.

The “ANCYL Policy Discussion conference” led by the Youth League’s Deputy President Ronald Lamola touched on the long debated Nationalization of Mines and Expropriation of Land without compensation policies. Lamola echoed the statement he recently made that says force will be used to accumulate the land. “It is through the battle field that we are going to take back the land that was taken forcefully away from us,” he said.

Number of other issues arose including the league’s call of struggle for economic freedom. This time they dwelled much on the differences between the townships and the suburbs. “The majority are lying in the streets of Alexandra and in deep rural areas, not participating nor seeing the economy of the country,” says Lamola

Commenting on one of the South Africa’s slogans that says “SA is a Rainbow Nation state”, Lamola said “South Africans are not united as long as blacks still go to the “mkhukhus” of Alexandra while the whites go to the suburbs”

“United South Africa will start when we start seeing the rainbow nation in the packed trains like Metro rail and Shosholoza mail”

Another attack was posed indirectly to President Jacob Zuma accusing him of “upgrading one village to look like Hollywood”. “”Leadership must lead the nation not the village they come from of the tribe they fall under. We are inspired by former president Thabo Mbeki and Nelson Mandela, they did not serve their own villages but they strived for the nation,” said Lamola.

The nation and its economy belong to the young generation that is the future of the country. The ANCYL is fighting for radical change in the mother body especially after the elective conference in Mangaung late this year. “If you look at leaders in other countries, they are very young and energetic. You never see a sleeping parliamentarian. They even “moer” (beat) each other in debates for socio-economic and political issues. We must fight without fear or favour,” said Lamola