It is easy to dismiss the leadership of the ANC Youth League as a bunch of buffoons. It is convenient to write off their influence as inconsequential. It is less complicated to laugh at Julius Malema than to take him seriously. But it is also not very prudent.

If history is anything to go by, the leadership of the ANCYL is very important. Not only is it a reflection of the calibre of the country's youth (and what they aspire to), it is also the training ground where the country's future leaders cut their political teeth.

Among the organisation's illustrious alumni are Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela. Somewhat less illustrious are Peter Mokaba, Lulu Johnson, Malusi Gigaba and Fikile Mbalula. At least two of those names should be familiar — both Gigaba and Mbalula hold deputy ministerial positions in Jacob Zuma's Cabinet.

So, what do post-democracy youth league leaders do when they grow up? Do they become great statesmen like Nelson Mandela? Or do they fall for the lure of a cushy job in Parliament, buoyed by their own empty rhetoric and a fat paycheque? We take a look at what has become of the ANCYL's post-democracy leaders.

Peter Mokaba

Leadership period: 1991 – 1994.

Age at inception: 32.

Education: Masters degree in Development Management from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Famous for: frequent use of the slogan "Kill the boer, kill the farmer".

Mokaba, who was elected the first leader of the ANC Youth League following the unbanning of the organisation, stepped down as Youth League president to serve as the deputy minister of environmental affairs and tourism in the government of Nelson Mandela (1994 – 1999).

A staunch supporter of Thabo Mbeki and his Aids denialism, Mokaba was eventually asked by the ANC NEC to stop making statements on the issue of HIV/Aids. When he died in 2002 at the age of 43 from "respiratory problems", Mokaba had been appointed to head the ANC's 2004 electoral campaign.

Mlungisi Lulu Johnson

Leadership period: 1994 – 1996.

Age at inception: unknown.

Education: Certificate in Public Management (Wits).

Famous for: not very much at all

A trustee of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, Mlungisi (or Lulu as he is known) Johnson, dropped off the political radar for a few years following his stint as ANCYL president.

Returning to the political arena in 2004, he became a Member of Parliament. He is currently the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the co-chairperson of the ad hoc committee of the National Youth Development Agency.

Malusi Gigaba

Leadership period: 1996 – 2004.

Age at inception: 25.

Education: Masters degree in Social Policy, Bachelors degree in Education (University of Durban-Westville).

Famous for: his elite 'Gucci' leadership style.

Gigaba was elected to the National Assembly in 1999, but he resigned in 2001 because of his commitments to the Youth League. After serving three consecutive terms as the Youth League president, Gigaba became deputy minister of home affairs in 2004.

Despite allegations of misappropriation of department funds, Gigaba retained his position in the home affairs department in Jacob Zuma's government. More recently, Gigaba's suitability for Parliament was questioned when he appeared as an administrator on a slanderous Facebook group called 'Helen Zille – is still a venomous white racist adulterer'.

Fikile Mbalula

Leadership period: 2004 – 2008.

Age at inception: 33.

Education: enrolled for a Masters in Economics at Unisa.

Famous for: rants ridden with malapropisms and grammatical errors. In 2007 he referred to Trevor Manuel as an "attention-seeking drama queen".

Forced to step down after his first term because, at the age of 37, he was too old for the Youth League, Mbalula, like his predecessor Mokaba, was appointed to head up the ANC's election campaign. While the R200-campaign was generally deemed a success, Mbalula raised a few eyebrows when he wrapped up the campaign with an open letter to Thabo Mbeki accusing him of betraying the legacy of Nelson Mandela.

It was under the leadership of Fikile Mbalula that the ANCYL took a more visible role in defending Jacob Zuma and pushing for his election as president. Jacob Zuma, after considerable lobbying from the Youth League for league representation at a government level, gave Mbalula the position of deputy minister of police in his new Cabinet.

Given the propensity for ANCYL leaders to graduate into Parliament, we can only hope that Julius Malema spends the rest of his 'youth' (that's a good eight years) honing his political skills in the arena of 'youth' politics. If the opposition gets lucky, he may even head up the ANC's next election campaign.

Where do you think Julius Malema will end up after his stint at the head of the Youth League? Share your thoughts below…

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