Ousted ANCYL Leader Says He Should Have Never Supported Zuma

African National Congress Youth League conference in South Africa featured the President Julius Malema as well as President Jacob Zuma. Malema won re-election easily over the youth wing of the ruling party., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

I'm sorry I ever supported Zuma, says Juju

28 Jun 2012 08:18 - Sapa

Julius Malema regrets campaigning for President Jacob Zuma's election, and has slammed his plans for a second transition as "politically incorrect".

"My only regret was to campaign for Zuma, and I apologise dearly," Malema told the Star.

He also rejected Zuma's idea of a "second transition", which the Mail & Guardian reported was rejected on Wednesday by the ANC policy conference under way in Midrand.

"To wake up in the morning and announce you are now in a second transition, like you're announcing the second birthday of a child, is politically incorrect and lacks ideological clarity," said Malema.

A document on the second transition is one of the ANC's 13 policy documents under discussion at the four-day conference.

Zuma said in opening the conference on Tuesday that the second transition would make the country a "true democratic developmental state ... which has a number of instruments it can use to facilitate change".

The first transition was still important because it had ushered in an era of democracy in South Africa.

"The time has come to do something more drastic to accelerate change towards economic transformation and freedom."

Zuma asked delegates to discuss the notion of a second transition when dealing with the strategy and tactics document.

"It is time to ask questions about the present and future ...

Our CoverageZuma's second transition rejected by ANC commissionsANCYL gets huffy about being sent to the back of the classMore CoverageANC Youth League continues bastion for land reformMalema condemns Zuma's absence at Youth Day rallythe last 18 years was the first transition. We are calling for a dramatic shift ... to deal with the triple challenge[s] of poverty, unemployment and inequality," said Zuma. – Sapa