By Megan Swart
Julius Malema made yet more controversial statements at an EFF rally in the Western Cape last weekend, during which he told members of the party, among other things, to “not be afraid to kill” when it comes to interactions with “racist white people” do not.
“Racism is violence and violence can only end with violence. If you are a racist, you are therefore a violent person, therefore we will react with violence,” said the EFF leader.
In his speech, Malema also told members to approach “landless people in the Western Cape” to speed up land grabs in affluent areas such as Camps Bay.
The civil rights organization AfriForum subsequently reported Malema to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) for inciting violence and hate speech.
Footage from the party’s election conference shows Malema greeting a cheering crowd in Cape Town and urging him to confront racism in the Western Cape.
In his speech, he referred to an incident in which EFF members marched at Brackenfell High School in 2020, after allegations circulated that a private matric farewell event was held to which no black learner was apparently invited.
However, the HRC found this year that no learner from the school was discriminated against on the basis of their skin colour.
“You went to a school in the Western Cape to protest and you were beaten by white people,” he told the members.
“What did you do to follow up [the case] after you were beaten by a white man, who was caught on camera? Why didn’t you as a revolutionary organization follow up with that guy; took him alone to an isolated space and looked after the guy properly?
“You should never be afraid to kill. A revolution requires that at some stage murder must be committed, because murder is part of a revolutionary act.”
Malema went on to say that former president Nelson Mandela had to take up a firearm at the time “because the revolution had reached a point where there was no alternative but to kill
“Any racist who threatens or assaults the EFF’s members and leadership is an application to meet your creator immediately,” he said.
EFF members clapped and cheered throughout Malema’s speech.
Malema’s latest statements come barely two months after the equality court in Johannesburg found that the song “Kill the Boer” does not amount to hate speech. The court also found that the singing of the song did not incite farm murders of white people.
Grab Land Now
In his speech, Malema also addressed the subject of expropriation without compensation, especially in the Western Cape.
He claims that most “landless people” are found in the Western Cape and that they have to live like “sardines” while white people stay by the beach or Table Mountain.
“Land occupation means we must occupy prime land, not rotten land. Has land ever been identified in Kampsbaai? Have we ever tried to occupy land in Camps Bay and settle our people in the most beautiful area in the Western Cape? Or we take our people to risky, rotten countries and when it rains our people are washed away. Without realizing it, you are doing what apartheid told us to do and that is to stay away. To stay away from the town, from the white people.â
HRC approached
In a letter to the HRC regarding Malema’s latest statements, AfriForum demanded that his comments be investigated and that the commission take a stand and act against the violent rhetoric.
“The political environment in South Africa continues to radicalize. Every time a politician gets away with extremist or violent rhetoric, it leads to the escalation of such rhetoric,” says Ernst van Zyl, campaign officer for strategy and content at AfriForum.
“It is a shame that the political elite are currently often given a free pass by those who have the authority to intervene. This is why it is so important for AfriForum to step in and ensure that there are consequences for the incitement of violence by politicians.”
AfriForum called on its members to put pressure on the HRC to urgently investigate Malema for these statements by filing a standard complaint against the EFF leader.
