The Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA) wants to talks to the ANC Youth League about its president Julius Malema's insults against South African Communist Party general secretary Jeremy Cronin.

It was "disgusted" at the insults against Cronin, who is also the Deputy Minister of Transport, YCLSA spokesperson Gugu Ndima said in a statement.

In his attack on Cronin, Malema said the ANCYL did not "need the permission of white political messiahs to think".

This, after Cronin published an article criticising Malema's call to nationalise mines.

Insults instead of debate

Ndima said: "The YCLSA believes that Malema has sunk to the lowest ebb of being racist and hurling insults, instead of engaging with profound debates that Cronin was raising."

"We view the labelling of Cronin as a 'white messiah' not only as racist, but as an insult to the principle and ideology of the national liberation movement, that of non-racism."

"We are confident that the majority of members of the ANC Youth League do not share these racist and insulting labels," she said.

Ndima said the YCLSA also noted that Malema substituted a sensible debate for insults and racist labels, and bravery for disrespect.

"But we believe that we can disagree on any issue and still maintain respect as comrades.

"What is worse is that Malema invokes the names of respectable leaders of the ANC, including Nelson Mandela, to justify this nonsensical insults and racist remarks."

Ndima said the YCLSA was also disappointed that a call by President Jacob Zuma and the alliance for a ceasefire in the trading of insults was being undermined by Malema.

The YCLSA wanted to meet with the ANCYL leadership before the end of the week, she said.

The SACP has already defended Cronin and condemned Malema's insults.

Malema described the Cronin piece on mine nationalisation as "openly reactionary".

Cronin provided an analysis of the issues surrounding the nationalisation of the mines.

Cronin: Malema misses bigger picture

In it, he criticised Malema and the league's calling for nationalisation, saying: "Comrade Malema hasn't always helped his case with off-the-wall sound-bytes. The impression of a policy being made on the hoof, individualistically, is reinforced by the fact that we are yet to see any serious attempt at a collective policy document on this matter from the ANCYL."

"I suspect that comrade Malema and others are missing this bigger systemic picture because when they speak of mineral beneficiation they are thinking of bling ... sorry, jewellery," he said.

In his response, Malema described the article as reactionary, "clothed in quasi-Marxist rhetoric, with potential to make a sorry and sad reflection of the true character of the SACP's ideological steadfastness".

He said he did "not need the permission of white political messiahs to think".

Malema described it as "sad" that Cronin "decided to isolate me" from a league resolution in which it outlines its stance on nationalisation.

"... The state should be custodian of the people in its ownership, extraction, production and trade of mineral wealth beneath the soil, monopoly industries and banks".

On mineral beneficiation Malema said Cronin reduced the league's call for this to an "obsession with bling".

"It is sad that previously, those who look like us were considered intellectually inferior by the white supremacists, and today Comrade Jeremy reflects the same sentiment, even before he interacts with the views of the ANC YL," Malema said.

It said it had invited the league to take part in its political school last month, where it discussed nationalisation, but the league did not attend.