EFF leader Julius Malema has reiterated his call for Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to step down.
In his Africa Day speech in Joubert Park in the Joburg inner city yesterday, he lauded Mugabe’s land policies but added that the president had “overstayed his welcome”.
“The unity of African people will usher in economic freedom. Zimbabwe alone will never succeed with the land struggle. Of course Mugabe must go. Of course we don’t want leaders who overstay their welcome but Mugabe is 100% right about land.”
Malema said that if other Southern African Development Community countries didn’t adopt Zimbabwe’s land policies, the land issue was bound to fail.
“If Zimbabwe takes land and other countries near Zimbabwe don’t take land, then the land struggle will not succeed. They will simply leave Zimbabwe for South Africa like they did, and irritate us here.”
He said the issues of land and economic emancipation should be uniting all Africans.
Malema, who was once an avid Mugabe supporter, has recently called for the 93-year-old statesman, who has been in power since 1987, to retire.
Malema also spoke about woman abuse and xenophobia.
“Xenophobia is self-rejection. If you know who you are, you would never reject people from the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) or people from Nigeria.
“The beauty of Africa is that we share history and culture. When you chase foreigners, you never chase white people. You always go for Africans because you suffer from self-hate.”
Referring to the attacks on Somalian and Ethiopian shop- owners in townships during service delivery protests and xenophobic attacks, he said: “Our brothers are attacked all the time but the shops owned by white people are not. They call them investors.
“There is no Somali who closed down a South African spaza shop. The South African spaza shop was closed by the introduction of malls in townships. Your spaza shop collapsed before the arrival of the Somalis. They are helping you because they are renting your empty spaza shop.”
On abuse issues urged self-respect. “Women are the most peaceful and understanding people. If it were up to me, this world would be ruled by women.”
Malema defended the #MenAreTrash movement. “If we don’t want to be called that, let’s change our behaviour, then #SAMenAreLovers will start trending.”