Irvin Jim has accused Gwede Mantashe of sowing divisions in Cosatu.
A black South African afraid to challenge white supremacy is an enemy to disempowered black people, firebrand Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema told students at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Soshanguve campus.
In a speech largely seeking to conscientise students against voting ANC and its campus affiliate, the South African Student Congress (Sasco), Malema’s cue to the point about white domination was a brief but violent clash between EFF and Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (Pasma) members. Police fired three stun grenades to separate the rivals.
“I saw EFF people fighting with Pasma people. It can’t be. The EFF and Pasma should hold hands and fight a common enemy. That common enemy is the defender of white capital,” said Malema to about two thousand students, majority of whom donned EFF T-shirts.
“People who are afraid of whites are our enemies. If you’re black and scared of white people, you’re an enemy. We want blacks that are not scared of white people. We want blacks that are going to put white people at their right place.
“They must know that South Africa is our land and that South Africa belongs to all who live in it black and white, but whites must be prepared to abandon arrogance and white supremacy. We need South Africa to serve all and not a few. We have been patient for far too long.”
Malema told students it was nothing but propaganda that South Africa would be like neighbouring Zimbabwe if blacks repossessed land.
“They say to you you’re going to be like Zimbabwe if you take your land. You’re worse than Zimbabwe because you stay in shacks on a land that you do not even own.
“You’re poor without anything. Zimbabweans are poor but they’ve got land. They’ve got property. You’re poor [and] don’t have any property, but you think you’re better than Zimbabwe. Why? You listen to propaganda. They always want to make you feel good.
“When you complete varsity you’ll stay in Midrand, where you’re going to rent a flat. That’s what you’re graduating into. You graduate into debt. You graduate into being a slave of banks.
“Qualified civil engineers from here … can’t afford even the smallest car because we must graduate into slavery and continue being controlled by white people. It starts here. Let’s liberate the whole of South Africa.”
Malema was addressing students ahead of student representative council (SRC) elections today across TUT campuses. The EFF Student Command is contesting elections, hoping to snatch more seats and central presidency from Sasco.
Other contenders were Pasma, the Radical Students Movement, Socialist Youth Movement, the South African Democratic Students Movement and Students Christian Organisation.
“Please let’s use our brains” when voting, Malema urged students. “We must stop using emotions, saying ‘these [the ANC] are Mandela’s people, they fought for us’.
“We have honoured them it’s enough. We’ve looked after them, now it’s our turn to look after ourselves. You won’t eat history. You keep saying ‘they went to exile, will you eat exile? You keep saying ‘they fought and went to Robben Island’, are you going to eat Robben Island?
“’I’m doing it for Mandela’, Mandela is no more. If you’re doing it [voting ANC] you’re doing it for [Jacob] Zuma. You’re not doing it for Mandela.”
Malema also took a swipe at Sasco members for rallying behind ANC: “You’re wearing a yellow T-Shirt running all over [telling people to] vote [ANC], but your mother stays in shack that’s leaking. Zuma’s wife has a spaza shop of R500 000.
“You’re running all over the place with a yellow T-Shirt saying ‘vote, vote’, but where you come from there’s no water, no electricity. Zuma’s cows stay in a kraal of R1-million.
“This is not a fabrication, you can read [so] go and find those facts for yourself. When you vote ask yourself: is my vote going to serve better the cattle or the people. If you love cows vote for them.”
The ANC has disputed that almost R250-million was spent at Zuma’s Nkandla homestead. The party has rejected the Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report on the figure as misleading.
Students should also spare a thought about the 2012 Marikana massacre when casting their vote, said Malema. “The government use[s] violence when it deals with black people. When you vote think of those people who died in Marikana. They were shot.
“Even when those people were not fighting [but] running away, police chased them and shot them from behind,” Malema said to murmurs of “iyoh” from the throngs.
He told them of Mgcineni “Mambush” Noki, who came to be known as the man in a green blanket. “They shot him on the head with seven bullets, a defenseless man. A black man who was saying I’m asking for more money so that I can send my child to TUT.
“Zuma was the president when our people got killed in Marikana. They’ve got blood of innocent people. [Deputy President Cyril] Ramaphosa has got blood of innocent people. So when you vote think of those things,” Malema told students.
The Farlam Commission of Inquiry absolved political leaders of any wrongdoing in the Marikana massacre. It recommended an inquiry into fitness of National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega to hold office, which Zuma has announced he will constitute.
Concluded Malema: “Let us be confident that tomorrow will be better than today. But it starts with you. Stop listening to propaganda, [the so-called] good story to tell. There’s nothing good to tell about this story. I’ve said to you when we say we’re slaves they say ‘no slaves don’t vote’. They want to make you feel good, you’re a better slave.”