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"The team was led by someone who had predetermined ideas," Malema told the ANCYL Lekotla in Pretoria on Friday, in what, he said, might be his last speech.

He also accused the ANC leadership of "going round the world ensuring investors that nationalisation was not on the agenda of the ANC".

Malema said the ANCYL had rejected the ANC's nationalisation research document on the basis that the research team had been led by mining expert Paul Jordan who had publicly pronounced his opposition to the nationalisation of mines before undertaking the research on behalf of the ANC.

"He had predetermined ideas," Malema said of Jordan.

"The ANCYL knew he would undermine the integrity of the research process and his contribution will forever be questionable."

Malema said the ANCYL had noted that there had been "nothing different" in the report from what Jordan had written in a journal in 2010.

Jordan and the research team visited thirteen countries and yet his opinions remained the same, the ANCYL president added.

"Was this research a possible smokescreen for Jordan? We're not even sure that the research team conducted research in these thirteen countries or whether they were on a holiday," Malema said to applause from his audience.

The team had been tasked with studying how nationalisation had functioned in other countries such as Chile, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Zambia, Brazil, Venezuela, Botswana and China.

The team's document - that has now been published on the internet - clearly did not advocate nationalisation but rather a possible 50% windfall tax as well as the creation of a state mining company.

"But the Freedom Charter never said anything about a mining tax, instead it states that the mineral wealth, banks and other monopolies would be transferred to the ownership of the people," he said to a round of applause.

Malema added that the ANC's National General Council - whom no one in the ANC could defy - had initially ordered that further research be carried out on nationalisation, not only of mines, but of other strategic sectors too.

"What members of the ANC and South Africans must appreciate is that all issues on economic freedom in our lifetime are elementary to the success of the revolution.

"Our generation will have to take full responsibility for people who don't have jobs.

"Achieving economic freedom in our lifetime means the attainment of all of the objectives of the ANC's Freedom Charter as urgently as possible."

Malema added that the Freedom Charter was "the lifeblood of the congress alliance as well as the foundation of SA's constitution".

"The Freedom Charter says SA belongs to all the people who live in it - black and white. The Freedom Charter cannot be replaced with anything else."

Malema stressed that the Freedom Charter stated that the people should be in control of strategic sectors of the economy.

"The state should own the mines, banks and monopoly industries and allow for the development of industrial entrepreneurs who would create jobs. The state would also be responsible for providing the industrial and manufacturing sectors with easier access to raw materials."

He said that the future looked "bright" because the ANCYL would lead the struggle for "economic freedom in our lifetime".

"Never be discouraged that we are doing wrong in fighting for the Freedom Charter."

Malema told his audience that the ANCYL would battle on to pursue the struggle for economic freedom as well as revive the African agenda and strengthen relations with allies across the continent.

"We are the biggest and most organised revolutionary youth movement not only in SA but on the entire African continent and this has been confirmed by the appointment of the ANCYL's former deputy president Andile Lungisa as president of the Pan African Youth Union."

Turning to the findings of the ANC's National Disciplinary Committee of Appeals (NDCA), Malema said he and his colleagues had been found guilty "of thinking".

"We stand here guilty for being disciplined members of the ANC... we stand here guilty for making observations no one has said were wrong.

"The voice of the youth has not been heard as we are living in difficult moments."

Malema asked if the present ANC was the one of Chief Albert Luthuli who had allowed Thabo Mbeki and his generation to express their views.

He added that ANC leader Oliver Tambo had allowed Chris Hani and his generation to express their views and Nelson Mandela had permitted Peter Mokaba to speak his mind, while Thabo Mbeki had given Fikile Mbalula free rein.

"If the truth be told, if these leaders had persecuted, expelled or intimidated young leaders, the ANC would never be where it is today," Malema said, to resounding applause.

It was confirmed on February 4 by the ANC's NDCA that Malema, his secretary general Sindiso Magaqa and spokesman Floyd Shivambu were guilty of ill-discipline, bringing the ANC into disrepute and sowing divisions within the party.

However, it was acknowledged that the NDC had not given Malema a chance to plead in mitigation of the five-year suspension imposed and that it could not suspend him without hearing evidence in mitigation of his sentence.