BOKSBURG - EFF leader Julius Malema has urged party members to reach out to white South Africans ahead of the local government elections.
He's also cautioned against the harassment of Jewish people amid South Africa’s renewed diplomatic tensions with Israel.
Malema delivered closing remarks at the EFF’s second plenum of the National People's Assembly in Boksburg.
“We must make sure that even white communities have to be spoken to, because they’re being made to be scared of non-existing threat," Malema said.
"Actually, what we’re advocating for is the freedom of white people from high walls, freedom of those in the surging from high walls.
"They can’t even enjoy their gardens, because they’re hiding behind high walls, but if we usher economic freedom for everybody in South Africa, there won’t be a need for high walls because everybody is empowered, everybody is participating in the economy of South Africa."
Malema lauded government’s decision to expel Israel’s diplomat, but slammed it for failing to shut the embassy and cut both diplomatic and economic ties with Tel Aviv.
He nevertheless urged South Africans to draw a clear distinction between opposition to the Israeli state and the treatment of Jewish people.
“This is not a fight against Jewish people. This is a fight against apartheid Israel, and it’s reparative everywhere," he said.
Malema also warned that Africa’s fragmentation is weakening the continent’s influence and voice in global politics.
“Look today, South Africa is under attack, the whole of Africa is quiet, but if it were one of those African countries, we were going to be expected to say something, but now that we’re under attack, the continent is quiet.”
Turning to the local government elections, Malema conceded that the polls represent a defining moment for the EFF, warning that the party now faces a stark choice: Survive or perish.
- eNCA’s Moloko Moloto has the story.