ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema is proof that corporal punishment needs to be reinstated, the Freedom Front Plus Youth said on Monday.

Earlier, the FF Plus Youth handed a memorandum to a representative in the Presidency in Pretoria asking for the return of corporal punishment in schools.

During the time that corporal punishment was applied in schools, learners behaved in a civil way and youth leaders had respect for their peers and elders, spokesperson Charl Oberholzer said.

It was clear that the current disciplinary system had failed when the prevalence of violence and lack of discipline in schools were considered.

In the memorandum to President Kgalema Motlanthe, the FF Plus Youth said this, and recent statements by Malema and others, showed that corporal punishment was still needed.

These included Malema's statement that he was willing to "kill for ANC President Jacob Zuma" and another by Mpumalanga youth leader Isaac Mahlangu that he was willing to "kill all the cockroaches in their way of getting a university in the province".

"This proves that the abolishment of corporal punishment was a mistake and has lead to a lack of respect and discipline in society.

"Recent newspaper reports further show that violence and discipline problems are everyday occurrences in schools.

"Pupils are expelled from schools or taken to court where 'six of the best' used to be an alternative remedy," the FF Plus Youth said.

"The Freedom Front Plus Youth requests that corporal punishment is brought back into schools.

"We believe that this will contribute to a more disciplined and safer learning environment."