Mbombela - He was four hours late, but EFF commander in chief Julius Malema was met with ululation and praise songs when he arrived at a fund-raising gala dinner in Nelspruit on Saturday night.
He joked that he could not risking getting another speeding ticket after his arrest on Friday night, then gave an 80-minute speech that ended just before midnight, a Sapa correspondent reported.
Malema said the EFF was a government in waiting, and he outlined the party's policies on mines and banks, and land reform.
“An entrepreneur must be able to do business no matter who is in government. A real businessman doesn't lose sleep over whether the [National Party], ANC or EFF is in power. You do not rely on tenders. Tenders are not sustainable business,” he said.
Malema said Black Economic Empowerment encouraged the sale of black skin.
“You sell your colour as if black is cheap and can be sold at any time.”
He said BEE supported only individuals and their families, and not communities.
“Rather give that money meant for BEE to the community, to build schools and clinics,” he said.
He said land should be returned to communities free of charge, since it had been taken without payment. The act of buying back the land was the same as buying stolen goods.
Land beneficiaries should also not be pressured into doing anything withtheir land, he said.
“You don't have to explain anything to anybody. It's your land. What you do with your land is nobody's business.”
He said fears about the nationalisation of the mines were unfounded as the government had proved that it could manage businesses, citing Transet and Denel as examples.
He suggested nationalising only easy, profitable and uncomplicated mines, like platinum, which was found near the surface of the ground.
“We only want to nationalise profitable national resources. Not gold. Gold is very expensive to mine,” he said.
He said the government needed to keep all mineral rights, and that the mines should give 60 percent of their ownership to the state.
Only this would generate enough money to provide free education, healthcare and sanitation.
Nationalised banks would run themselves, and without focusing on maximising profits, would keep their interest rates low so that all South Africans could afford a house and car.
Malema said local industry be protected so it was not undermined by cheap imports, and that the state should help people acquire basic skills.
He accused President Jacob Zuma and his government of not being accountable to the people. - Sapa