At the launch of the Economic Freedom Fighters
Malema called on supporters of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to donate money to the party at a press conference on Thursday.
The event was to announce the party's policies, decided at a recently-convened "national assembly on what is to be done", he said. Malema was flanked by former ANC Youth League spokesperson, Floyd Shivambu, sushi-king-turned-revolutionary, Kenny Kunene, and other officials.
Among other "non-negotiable" policy proposals, the EFF wants nationalisation of South Africa mines, banks, and "other strategic sectors" without compensation.
"We are issuing a clarion call to our supporters to finance their own revolution," Malema told a press conference on Thursday. The red berets now synonymous with the EFF are expensive to produce, he said, and will not be given away for free.
"We will not get money from big businesses like the government does, like these construction cartels. These same construction cartels that Jacob Zuma says must give a billion rand to the Mandela Children's Hospital. I am shocked. Madiba is against corruption," he said.
Malema is facing criminal charges of fraud and corruption relating to alleged tender fraud in Limpopo. He has denied the charges and maintains they are the result of an attempt by the state to persecute him because of the radical policies the EFF advocates.
Malema maintained the EFF was not a breakaway party from the ANC. This was despite many of its interim leadership, including himself, having formed the party after being expelled from the ANC.
That "failed party" had been reduced to nothing more than blind loyalty, Malema said. The ANC's secretary general, Gwede Mantashe, would do well to focus on his own party than criticise others.
"It [the ANC] is no more. It's dead," Malema said to a crowd of reporters and supporters in Braamfontein. "People are just loyal to the ANC's name."
Malema, responding to a question about whether or not the EFF supported Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF, claimed it was the ANC who was "in bed with Zanu-PF".
Malema said the ruling party had a long-standing relationship with Mugabe's Zanu-PF, in the form of a committee of liberation movements that held regular meetings.
'Mugabe is old'
Meanwhile, the EFF "knows those comrades" at Zanu-PF, but was more interested in its policies than in its leaders.
"We hear you, that Mugabe is old, but we are not interested in personalities. We are inspired by the struggle of the people of Zimbabwe. Their demand for their land started long before Zanu-PF."
Malema said the EFF, while advocating for land expropriation without compensation, had no interest in Zimbabwe-styled land grabs. He said there was enough land for everyone in South Africa to share.
"But it was not Zanu-PF who invaded those farms; it was the people of Zimbabwe. These people who say we [the EFF] want to turn South Africa into Zimbabwe have never been part of the revolution.
"These are the people who said they would give 30% of the land back to black South Africans. In 20 years they have only given 8% back. At this rate it will take 200 years to give back the land.
"Now they want the auditor-general to tell them how much land is available and how much must be given back. Look at a map of South Africa: that is the land that must be given back," Malema said, to applause from the EFF members in the room.
Malema said the EFF's biggest support base was currently in the Free State, but added that it was the poor and marginalised that the party wanted to represent.
"We must not allow social media to influence our radicalism. Our members are not on Facebook or Twitter," he said.