Malema apologises to Zuma, South Africans

Julius Malema

Julius Malema apologised on Tuesday to President Jacob Zuma for remarks he made about the ANC leader, and to South Africans for supporting him.

He did not say which remarks, but made it clear his apology did not apply to policy matters.

"At times we got very angry to a point where we said things we shouldn't have said to an old veteran of the liberation movement," Malema said during an interview on SAfm.

"We apologise to him, but we do not apologise for disagreeing with him on policy direction and his leadership style."

Malema also apologised to South Africans for supporting Zuma ahead of the African National Congress's Polokwane elective conference in December 2007, when he unseated former president Thabo Mbeki.

"I've made a terrible mistake and I am trying everything in my power to reverse that. This crisis was made by some of us... we will do everything in our power to correct this terrible mistake we committed in Polokwane," he said.

"We once more sincerely apologise for having given you a president like president Zuma."

After Zuma was elected ANC president Malema vowed to "eliminate any force" which blocked Zuma's path to the presidency, vowing "to take up arms and kill for Zuma".