Malema: DA is the 'enemy of the people' for not supporting land expropriation motion
Soweto - While the DA can still rely on the EFF's support to continue governing the Joburg and Tshwane Metros, EFF leader Julius Malema is determined to "punish" the party in Nelson Mandela Bay for rejecting its motion to allow a Constitutional review on land expropriation without compensation.
"We are going to remove a mayor of PE. Not because he stole the money or anything. Uh Uh. Becaue we want to teach these white people that we mean business when we say expropriation of land without compensation. So yesterday DA voted against us and we said 'eh heh' you think we are playing. We are going for your white man in PE. We are going to cut the throat. Just to show you that we too don't owe you anything."
"We need to take that away from them, to teach them a lesson to make them appreciate that we mean business when it comes to land," Malema said on Wednesday, outside of the party's public healthcare campaign at Baragawanath hospital in Soweto.
His comments came after the party's motion for the amendment of the Constitution to allow expropriation without compensation received overwhelming support. The EFF motion, with an ANC amendment, was supported by the majority of MPs on Tuesday and paves the way for a review of the Constitution.
They party now wants to support a motion of no confidence against Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol Trollip in retaliation.
Malema accused the DA of not "appreciating the pain that comes with the brutal land dispossession", claiming the party suggested that those who lost their homes in places such as District Six must just be given a house.
"[Jhb and Tshwane] are more than safe. But PE isn't because they love whites so much. When they were negotiating with us they were saying you can actually take the two just give us PE, because they wanted to do everything in their power to protect Trollip," he claimed.
He labelled the DA the "enemy of the people".
The DA is governing Tshwane, Joburg and Nelson Mandela Bay through a fragile coalition with other opposition parties but remain at the mercy of the EFF, who emerged as kingmakers in the 2016 local government elections. The EFF has refused to go into a formal coalition agreement with the DA.
"We can change anytime. We don't care about white feelings, we don’t care about the feelings of voters of the DA. They can go to hell," Malema said.
However, the party will not hand over the governance of the metro to the ANC on a silver platter. It wants the party to put forward a mayoral candidate who has integrity.
'No ANC thugs'
"If the ANC is going to come with thugs like Andile Lungisa as mayor, we will not vote with them. We will fold our arms," Malema said.
He said they want someone similar to former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas, who rejected R600m from the infamous Gupta family.
"The ANC punished Mcebisi, who rejected R600m, by not electing him in their conference, by not choosing him as minister. Now, we want to reward him for having stood against corruption. It's about clean government," Malema said.
Playing politics
DA Eastern Cape leader Nqaba Bhanga said in a statement on Tuesday that it was clear that the EFF would rather place politics ahead of the needs of Nelson Mandela Bay residents.
"The EFF's decision not to support Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Municipality's 2017/18 adjustment budget undermines the work that has been done by the multiparty coalition government since 2016."
Bhanga said they would not be able to proceed with important service delivery programmes as a result.
On the motion of no confidence threats, Bhanga said the EFF's "political schizophrenia will only harm the people" of Nelson Mandela Bay.
'EFF yearns for return of the ANC'
"When the Democratic Alliance campaigned, it was on the basis of bringing total change to the City; it is clear that the EFF would like to see the ANC return to its old ways of looting the municipality and lying to the people.
"For the EFF to suggest that the ANC has the ability to present a credible candidate is unthinkable. Many of the country's problems are of the ANC's making, regardless of who leads the organisation at all levels."
The DA said it would, along with its coalition partners, continue to serve the people of Nelson Mandela Bay, "even if the EFF would like to see the municipality collapse under the ANC corruption". News24 (additional reporting by Politicsweb).
Farming must continue 'uninterrupted' - Malema
Johannesburg - As the debate over expropriation without compensation continues, EFF leader Julius Malema said on Wednesday that farmers should continue to work their land "uninterrupted, but that those parts that are lying idle must be redistributed by the state".
Malema also emphasised that there was no turning back on their call for the state to own all the land in the country.
He was answering questions by journalists outside of the party's public health care campaign launch at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto.
On Tuesday, the EFF was victorious when the majority of MPs in the National Assembly supported their motion for the amendment of the Constitution to allow expropriation without compensation.
The motion was supported by the ANC, IFP, NFP, UDM, Agang, AIC and APC, but was rejected by the DA, Cope and FF.
"If you are a farmer and you have lost ownership of the land to the state, then the portion of the farm you are using to produce whatever you are producing should continue uninterrupted, [but] idling parts of the farm …should be relocated to someone else who will use it for production," Malema said on Wednesday.
Malema claimed that huge portions of land currently under white ownership, was standing fallow and farmers were keeping it just to "brag" about the hectares they own.
According to Malema's explanation, black people will also not own land.
"We must all be allocated land, you can't sell it. You can't come tomorrow and say I have sold my piece of land. If you don't want it, you must go back to government and say I am leaving this place and you can take that which belongs to you and the government will relocate it to someone else," he said.
The EFF commander-in-chief said South Africans should not pay rent on the land they are working. However, Malema said only corporates and foreign investors should pay rent to the state.
"A lot of land remains idle, you don't need stats to know. Just go to Stellenbosch, which is owned by white people. It is just idling land.
"The ownership patterns are going to be affected by the fact that now government owns land, no one will be arrogant on the bases of ownership of land," Malema said.
He said, once all land is declared to the state, those previously disadvantaged can be prioritised for redistribution.
"It is not an issue that will cause a nightmare. It will be dealt with within the confines of the Constitution," he said.
The proposed amendment has been referred to Parliament's Constitutional Review Committee, that will open the matter for the public to give input.
The committee, which comprises MPs from both Houses of Parliament, will have to report back to the National Assembly by August 30.
