South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) has ordered its controversial youth leader Collen Maine to withdraw remarks calling for arms to be taken up to defend the “revolution” led by President Jacob Zuma.
In a statement, the ANC said that Maine’s comments were “inflammatory” and there was no place in a democracy for such “demagogic talk”.
Speaking at a ‘Hands off Zuma’ march in the president’s stronghold of Durban on Saturday, Mr Maine said:
Comrades from [the ANC’s former military wing] Umkhonto weSizwe, bring your guns. Now is the time to defend the revolution. We must do it. Generations that came before did it. They sacrificed their lives.” The ANC said South Africa needed “reasoned, cogent and decisive leadership”, and it had therefore instructed the leader of its youth wing to retract the comments.
Mr Zuma is currently under pressure over an investigation by an anti-corruption body into his relationship with the wealthy Gupta family.
He and the family deny any wrongdoing.
Mr Zuma survived an impeachment vote in April, despite South Africa’s highest court ruling that he breached the constitution by failing to repay government money used to upgrade his private home.
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