Zuma must denounce racist comments: Mulder

The FF Plus on Tuesday urged President Jacob Zuma to repudiate ANC Youth League head Julius Malema and other "third generation leaders" when they make racist statements.

The FF Plus on Tuesday urged President Jacob Zuma to repudiate ANC Youth League head Julius Malema and other "third generation leaders" when they make racist statements.

Speaking during debate on Zuma's budget vote in the National Assembly, party leader Pieter Mulder drew a comparison between the late Albertina Sisulu and Malema.

"What is the difference then between Mrs Sisulu and Mr Malema?" he asked.

Sisulu was a first generation political leader following the 1994 political settlement. In her speeches and actions she emphasised nation building and reconciliation. Malema was a third generation political leader after the 1994 political settlement.

"I have never heard Mr Malema emphasising nation building or reconciliation," Mulder said.

There were "more than enough" examples in the world of how populist leaders had soured relations between groups through irresponsible comments that led to conflict, violence and even civil war. These included Cyprus and Lebanon.

Any political settlement came under great pressure when the third or fourth generation political leaders following such a settlement, started getting power.

Former presidents Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk, Albertina Sisulu and Constand Viljoen were among the first generation political leaders that negotiated a settlement. To do so they had to compromise and find common ground between the interests of their specific support groups.

The second generation leaders included former president Thabo Mbeki, Zuma, former DA leader Tony Leon and Mulder himself.

As second generation leaders they were part of or witnesses to the initial negotiations.

The problem was keeping a balance between the interests of one's power base and the general interest of South Africa, he said.

"The third generation political leaders are the Malema's of today --hoping to be in power tomorrow. You find them in all political parties and on all sides of the political spectrum."

They did not feel bound by the original settlement because they were not part of it. The general interest of all South Africans was not their priority as they preferred to play only to their own audiences with radical statements.

"When I listen to the ANC youth league and Malema, they irresponsibly propagate nothing else but camouflaged revenge of blacks on whites."

The alarming part of this was that they got huge applause at public meetings for this, Mulder said.

"Is it a crisis? Yes, if these problems are ignored it becomes a crisis, permanently bedevilling all relations between South Africans."