Halt mineral exports, demands Malema

Calling for South Africa to stop exporting raw minerals, the president of the ANC Yout League Julius Malema has also outlined the league's plans for land expropriation and nationalisation of mines. Accordingly the government would have to stop exporting raw minerals to encourage the establishment of industries to process them locally.
"With greater state control and participation and ownership of mineral resources, our national budget will have the capacity to be increased and would take care of social responsibilities of the state," Malema said. He stressed that the problem was that minerals were exported in raw form, only to be imported in their processed state. "We think we need to deal with that particular situation, we need to beneficiate resources in South Africa."

Malema also said the ANC's national general council (NGC) had developed greater consensus on the league's proposal of putting control of the country's mines in the hands of the state. A team was currently investigating the best model of nationalisation that would not plunge the economy into a disaster. "Leave all the other things that others are saying. When we were going to NGC, they said nationalisation was not on the agenda although it was, and when (it) passed through they still said there were no talks on nationalisation."

Another item on the league's programme was land expropriation. The league wants all land, except residential, to belong to the state. This expropriation without compensation should be done with due consideration for laws and legislation. "When they took over our land, those owning it today, they never gave anybody compensation. Therefore it will be incorrect to demand that they must get anything from us." (Business Day)