ANC YOUTH LEAGUE STATEMENT ON THE DA'S REQUEST FOR SARS TO INVESTIGATE ANC YOUTH LEAGUE PRESIDENT:

The ANC Youth League has noted that the DA has typically said it will approach SARS to conduct life-style audit on ANC Youth League President Julius Malema. As a matter of record, the ANC Youth League is not opposed, has never been and will never oppose any life-style audit conducted by SARS on any South African citizen. This is because the ANC Youth League is of strong conviction that all South Africans should live honest and corruption-free life styles and be at all times ready to account on the resources they have access to.

The ANC Youth League supports SARS activities and decisions on any matter unconditionally, and believes that their decisions on who to conduct investigations and life-style audits on will never be a result of political instructions and ventilations of particularly racist political parties. If SARS takes a decision to conduct life-style audit on any leader of the ANC Youth League, the leadership will fully co-operate. It will however be problematic if such decisions are taken because the DA or any other right-wing political party has given instruction.

On a different level, the ANC Youth League expresses utter disgust on continued attempts to question the individual integrity of the black and particularly African leadership of the ANC led National Liberation Movement, particularly when people fail to engage issues the leadership raises. The ANC Youth League is aware that right wing political parties in collaboration with some media houses, in particular News 24 are hard at work to try and divert ANC Youth League's focus on strategic issues of economic transformation, which they believe threaten the wealth stolen from our people by white minorities and settlers.

If calls for life-style audit are genuine, they should be made to all young people, black or white and not only focus on those who speak about change of apartheid property relations. SARS should continue with the good work it is doing and refuse to be dragged into political battles, because if it enters political battles, it might loose integrity as an important organ of the State. Our commitment to a corruption free South Africa is unequivocal, and we will at all times co-operate with the Laws of South Africa.

Statement issued by the ANC Youth League, July 19 2011

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