African National Congress (ANC) Youth League president Collen Malatji has led a delegation which visited Zimbabwe for preparatory meetings ahead of the Africa Youth Congress Summit.
The Africa Youth Congress Summit is set to take place in Harare next month.
During his visit, Malatji told a crowd of people who waited for his arrival at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare that Zimbabwe and South Africa are going to elevate bilateral relations and cooperation.
“We are here in our home, Zimbabwe is our home, and we are saying the fight must continue. We were told that there is a protest here, we never saw any protest. It was driven by Western media. South Africa and Zimbabwe, we are going to work together for a beneficiation programme of making sure that we take back our land, to benefit our people.
“Our minerals must benefit our people. If there is poverty, it is poverty we are ready to go through. We are not prepared to suffer at the expense of countries that have no minerals and have no land.
He said the African countries should be supplying the world with finished products, not the exportation of raw materials.
“Our raw materials must remain here to create employment for the youth, and create employment for everyone in Africa. Africa cannot be the face of poverty when we are the richest continent in the world,” he said.
Last week, Zanu PF spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa told journalists in Harare about Malatji’s impending visit.
“Our Youth League is receiving the comrade from the ANC, the national president of the ANC Youth League Collen Malatji. He is coming to Zimbabwe. We welcome him to Zimbabwe, we welcome the communion between the youth leagues.
“We are from SADC, born of the frontline states. We shared the trenches with our fellow liberation movements. I have said it time and time again, in SADC we are neighbours, we are sisters, we are brothers,” said Mutsvangwa.
IOL