ANC Youth League president Julius Malema said the organisation will campaign for disgraced 800m winner Caster Semenya to run "as a girl".

Malema was speaking at the ANCYL 65th anniversary gala dinner at the Johannesburg Country Club, on Saturday night.

The ANCYL dinner honoured Semenya and World Championship medalists, Khotso Mokoena and Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, with a number of political heavyweights, like Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Matthews Phosa attending.

"When we speak on Caster's behalf it is not about her, it is about the treatment young women get, especially in rural environment. People look down on them," he said.

A charismatic Malema lambasted the "foreign owned" media for writing negatively around Semenya.

"We must defeat foreign owned media that wants to divert us from celebrating this victory."

Referring to The Star newspaper, he said the reason why the newspaper write negatively around the ANCYL, is because they have no interest in South Africa.

"They are not from here, they don't care," he said, referring to the newspapers Irish ownership.

"Don't talk about press freedom and all that."

Malema, who jokingly called the government a sub-committee of the ANCYL, also said he believes Bafana Bafana's coach should be a South African.

"The new leadership of Safa should give recognition to African leadership in sports," he said. "It is a direct undermining of our capacity and ability to provide leadership. Why do you think there is not a single person that cannot coach Bafana Bafana successfully?"

Sapa

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