JOHANNESBURG, South Africa _ Viewed as troublemakers by some and kingmakers by others, the ruling African National Congress' Youth League has been taking much of the credit as its hero, Jacob Zuma, closes in on the nation's presidency.
Julius Malema, the youth wing's 27-year-old leader, gloated this week that his group played a key role in the downfall of President Thabo Mbeki, who was forced to resign last weekend after a judge threw out a corruption case against Zuma.
Parliament elected ANC stalwart Kgalema Motlanthe Thursday to replace Mbeki, but Motlanthe is seen mainly as a placeholder. Zuma, the frontrunner to win the presidency in elections early next year, is not a legislator and was not eligible to be considered in parliamentary vote.
The youth league is part of a coalition that includes the main labor federation and the South African Communist Party that helped oust Mbeki and supports Zuma, leading to fears that the country — Africa's economic and diplomatic powerhouse —will be steered to the left.
"The ANC Youth League celebrates the fact that the decision to recall President Mbeki was influenced by our organization," Malema told reporters following the resignation. "The ANC Youth League is not ashamed of its capacity to influence decisions in the ANC."
But while the organization obviously wields some power, political observers question how effective it is alone and whether it's time for the ANC to clamp down on the group.
The league, with about 370,000 members between 14 and 35, claims to represent millions of young black South Africans who face poor standards of education and little chance of finding a job. It has been among Zuma's staunchest supporters with Malema as chief cheerleader.
Brash and bombastic, Malema has grabbed headlines with statements, including one threatening "to take up arms and kill for Zuma." He has vowed to "eliminate" anything blocking Zuma's path to the presidency.
The youth league rallied around Zuma after Mbeki fired him as deputy president in 2005 over a bribery scandal, and has kept up an aggressive campaign playing on dissatisfaction with Mbeki's aloofness and pro-market policies.
At a key party conference in December youth leaguers engineered Zuma's takeover of the ANC presidency from Mbeki by running roughshod over anti-apartheid veterans. They jeered leaders seen as pro-Mbeki, interrupted proceedings and disregarded rules on lobbying at the conference.
When Motlanthe accused Malema of making reckless comments, the youth league president called him a "paragon of political correctness."
Then, two weeks ago, when a judge found that Mbeki may have interfered in Zuma's prosecution, the league saw a gap to finish what it started in December. On the steps of the court, Malema called for Mbeki to be ousted and started the vigorous lobbying that would make it happen.
Never short of hubris, Malema — a former student movement leader — sees himself as following in the footsteps of former President Nelson Mandela.
Mandela was one of the founders of the Youth League in 1944 which brought a new militancy to the ANC and its fight against white minority rule. Mandela and another anti-apartheid icon, Walter Sisulu, were behind the ouster of ANC president Alfred Xuma in 1949.
"Part of our work is to keep the ANC in line and to inject new life into it," Malema said.
But critics say its leaders are more interested in advancing their own political careers and may be overstating their impact.
"They are definitely loud and there is definitely a coincidence between their desires and how events have turned out," said Aubrey Matshiqi, a political analyst. "But it is mere coincidence," he said.
Matshiqi acknowledges that the league does carry some clout, but says it is the pro-Zuma coalition as a whole — of which the Youth League is a part — that holds the key to power.
"It is because of that coalition that Zuma is ANC president and so close to the gates of the Union Buildings," he said, referring to the government headquarters in the capital, Pretoria.
For many ANC old-timers, the youth league has become an embarrassment. The organization's own national conference in April where Malema was elected in a disputed poll had to be abandoned after drunken brawls broke out amid internal wrangling that mirrored divisions within the ANC.
The group is accused of having no clear agenda, instead devoting its time and energy to campaigning for Zuma.
"These chaps are not in touch with the youth of South Africa," said Prince Mashele, independent analyst at the Pretoria-based Institute for Strategic Studies. "They have succeeded in inflating their own power."
Mashele attributes the youth league's rise to the "chaos" that the leadership battle between Zuma and Mbeki created in the ANC.
"It created the space for them to consider themselves as kingmakers. It has created a dangerous culture where the louder you are the more you get rewarded," he said.
On Thursday, Zola Skweyiya, Minister for Social Development, expressed regret at how the ANC leadership failed to rein its youth wing in. Speaking to SABC radio, he said the leaders had kept "quiet" when the league had behaved disrespectfully and that the way the league had treated the judiciary "leaves much to be desired."
Malema dismissed claims on Tuesday that the party was trying to rein him in amid alarm over recent inflammatory statements.
"There is no one in the ANC that can tell us what to do," Malema said.
Matshiqi acknowledged that trying to muzzle the youth leaders could be politically disastrous for Zuma.
"Keeping the coalition intact is critical until he has the key to the Union Buildings," Matshiqi said, adding that he doubted whether Zuma would fracture that coalition by publicly criticizing Malema and his organization.
But analyst William Gumede said he expected that to change in the future.
"They are going now to want to show that they can govern and will gravitate toward more moderation and try to rein in more militant groups," said Gumede.
Julius Malema, the youth wing's 27-year-old leader, gloated this week that his group played a key role in the downfall of President Thabo Mbeki, who was forced to resign last weekend after a judge threw out a corruption case against Zuma.
Parliament elected ANC stalwart Kgalema Motlanthe Thursday to replace Mbeki, but Motlanthe is seen mainly as a placeholder. Zuma, the frontrunner to win the presidency in elections early next year, is not a legislator and was not eligible to be considered in parliamentary vote.
The youth league is part of a coalition that includes the main labor federation and the South African Communist Party that helped oust Mbeki and supports Zuma, leading to fears that the country — Africa's economic and diplomatic powerhouse —will be steered to the left.
"The ANC Youth League celebrates the fact that the decision to recall President Mbeki was influenced by our organization," Malema told reporters following the resignation. "The ANC Youth League is not ashamed of its capacity to influence decisions in the ANC."
But while the organization obviously wields some power, political observers question how effective it is alone and whether it's time for the ANC to clamp down on the group.
The league, with about 370,000 members between 14 and 35, claims to represent millions of young black South Africans who face poor standards of education and little chance of finding a job. It has been among Zuma's staunchest supporters with Malema as chief cheerleader.
Brash and bombastic, Malema has grabbed headlines with statements, including one threatening "to take up arms and kill for Zuma." He has vowed to "eliminate" anything blocking Zuma's path to the presidency.
The youth league rallied around Zuma after Mbeki fired him as deputy president in 2005 over a bribery scandal, and has kept up an aggressive campaign playing on dissatisfaction with Mbeki's aloofness and pro-market policies.
At a key party conference in December youth leaguers engineered Zuma's takeover of the ANC presidency from Mbeki by running roughshod over anti-apartheid veterans. They jeered leaders seen as pro-Mbeki, interrupted proceedings and disregarded rules on lobbying at the conference.
When Motlanthe accused Malema of making reckless comments, the youth league president called him a "paragon of political correctness."
Then, two weeks ago, when a judge found that Mbeki may have interfered in Zuma's prosecution, the league saw a gap to finish what it started in December. On the steps of the court, Malema called for Mbeki to be ousted and started the vigorous lobbying that would make it happen.
Never short of hubris, Malema — a former student movement leader — sees himself as following in the footsteps of former President Nelson Mandela.
Mandela was one of the founders of the Youth League in 1944 which brought a new militancy to the ANC and its fight against white minority rule. Mandela and another anti-apartheid icon, Walter Sisulu, were behind the ouster of ANC president Alfred Xuma in 1949.
"Part of our work is to keep the ANC in line and to inject new life into it," Malema said.
But critics say its leaders are more interested in advancing their own political careers and may be overstating their impact.
"They are definitely loud and there is definitely a coincidence between their desires and how events have turned out," said Aubrey Matshiqi, a political analyst. "But it is mere coincidence," he said.
Matshiqi acknowledges that the league does carry some clout, but says it is the pro-Zuma coalition as a whole — of which the Youth League is a part — that holds the key to power.
"It is because of that coalition that Zuma is ANC president and so close to the gates of the Union Buildings," he said, referring to the government headquarters in the capital, Pretoria.
For many ANC old-timers, the youth league has become an embarrassment. The organization's own national conference in April where Malema was elected in a disputed poll had to be abandoned after drunken brawls broke out amid internal wrangling that mirrored divisions within the ANC.
The group is accused of having no clear agenda, instead devoting its time and energy to campaigning for Zuma.
"These chaps are not in touch with the youth of South Africa," said Prince Mashele, independent analyst at the Pretoria-based Institute for Strategic Studies. "They have succeeded in inflating their own power."
Mashele attributes the youth league's rise to the "chaos" that the leadership battle between Zuma and Mbeki created in the ANC.
"It created the space for them to consider themselves as kingmakers. It has created a dangerous culture where the louder you are the more you get rewarded," he said.
On Thursday, Zola Skweyiya, Minister for Social Development, expressed regret at how the ANC leadership failed to rein its youth wing in. Speaking to SABC radio, he said the leaders had kept "quiet" when the league had behaved disrespectfully and that the way the league had treated the judiciary "leaves much to be desired."
Malema dismissed claims on Tuesday that the party was trying to rein him in amid alarm over recent inflammatory statements.
"There is no one in the ANC that can tell us what to do," Malema said.
Matshiqi acknowledged that trying to muzzle the youth leaders could be politically disastrous for Zuma.
"Keeping the coalition intact is critical until he has the key to the Union Buildings," Matshiqi said, adding that he doubted whether Zuma would fracture that coalition by publicly criticizing Malema and his organization.
But analyst William Gumede said he expected that to change in the future.
"They are going now to want to show that they can govern and will gravitate toward more moderation and try to rein in more militant groups," said Gumede.
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