ANC YOUTH LEAGUE STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT ZUMA'S PARLIAMENTARY RESPONSE ON THE NATIONALISATION OF MINES DEBATE:

The ANC Youth League accepts the assertion by the ANC and South Africa's President Jacob Zuma that Nationalisation of Mines is currently not government's policy, and that no one should attempt to stop the ANC Youth League from raising the debate (see report). We agree that members of parliament and all South Africans should utilise whatever platform they have to engage the ANC Youth League's perspective on the Nationalisation of Mines (see policy), and not try to persuade the President to stop a healthy debate, because in the ANC, such is not allowed.

The ANC YL is acutely aware that currently, Nationalisation of Mines is not government policy. That is why the ANC YL is raising the debate in ANC structures with the intention of influencing a concrete ANC resolution to guide government on how Nationalisation of Mines should happen. If Nationalisation was government policy, it would be unnecessary for the ANC YL to call for the Nationalisation of Mines. The reason why members of Parliament are discussing nationalisation of Mines proves that we are indeed on track towards influencing a concrete, correct and coherent government policy on the Nationalisation of Mines.

Now that we the debate has been raised even in Parliament, patriotic citizens should make input on how nationalisation of Mines should happen in South Africa in a manner that will ensure that all people benefit from the country's mineral resources. In the process of the debate, the ANC YL will never be accommodative of views that seek to altogether suggest that nationalisation of Mines will never happen or seek to present a picture that the status quo is acceptable. The debate is not whether nationalisation should happen or not, it is on how best we nationalise Mines in South Africa in a manner that will ensure that Minerals wealth beneath and above the soil is used for the benefit of all people.

It remains the ANC Youth League's considered and measured conviction that Nationalisation of Mines will happen not in the distant future. Investors, businessmen, government bureaucrats and mining practitioners should begin to adjust to the reality that the democratic State is going to have greater control and ownership of minerals and the actual process of Mining in South Africa. The President of the ANC and RSA will never stop the debate on nationalisation of Mines. He will instead make input into the question of how to all South Africans benefit from the country's mineral endowments. The ANC Youth League is encouraged by the fact that the President has called on all South Africans to engage the ANC Youth League on the Nationalisation of Mines debate, and rejected attempts by the confused opposition parties to try and say the debate should not continue.

Statement issued by Floyd Shivambu, ANC Youth League spokesperson, February 16 2010

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