Malema: ‘You cannot imagine South Africa without white people’

EFF president Julius Malema said white South Africans belong in the country and should not leave,

Key message: white South Africans are part of the nation

Malema told the audience he could not imagine a South Africa without white people.

“We do not hate white people; we love them, so much.

He said white South Africans should be at the table alongside others and rejected the idea that they should leave the country.

On inclusion and equality

Malema argued for a South Africa of equals and said white people must allow Black South Africans to be free so barriers could come down. He used Sandton and Alexandra as examples, saying:

“So much so that we are saying, for their own freedom, they must allow us to be free so they can demolish their walls in Sandton. But as long as there is still Alexandra, there will be high walls in Sandton,”

and added:

“All we are saying is that white people must allow us at the table. We belong there. We do not belong on the floor and to eat the crumbs that fall from the table. We belong there collectively with them.”

Personal anecdote and relationships

Malema recounted a personal example involving his son to underline social integration. He said his son took a white person as a matric dance partner and used the story to argue that communities and friendships cross racial lines:

“Ratanang is going to fight back because these people are friends with our children. They are our neighbours, our partners. We are now doing almost everything together. You cannot imagine South Africa without white people,”

he said.

Views on dominance and political opposition

Malema said he opposes white dominance in South Africa and urged equal standing. He also criticised how his message is portrayed by others, saying opponents distort his words to create fear:

“We want a South Africa of equals, and they hear me very well because I communicate in their language, but they deliberately decide to distort my message and create Swart Gevaar, fear-mongering that if these ones take over, you are done,”

he said.

On political dynamics and capital

Malema commented on the influence of white capital and political parties, saying white capital is influential and that new parties are formed by what he called white monopoly capital. He said such influence aims to find a president they can control and described this as seeking a token president who is a black person.

Reporting note: Malema made these remarks at the EFF’s Jazz Hour event in Johannesburg on Thursday.