Malema warned on land grabs

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema is seen at the protest movement's launch on Thursday, 11 July 2013. The EFF was different to other African National Congress breakaway parties, the expelled ANC Youth League president said at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg."We are not like Agang [SA] and all of them... We have a completely different plan." This plan included the non-negotiable principles of land expropriation and nationalisation of mines, both without compensation. The EFF sought to move away from a discourse of reconciliation to one of justice, Malema said. The EFF would hold a conference in Soweto on July 26 and 27 to work out its policies and manifesto. Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema is seen at the protest movement's launch on Thursday, 11 July 2013. The EFF was different to other African National Congress breakaway parties, the expelled ANC Youth League president said at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg."We are not like Agang [SA] and all of them... We have a completely different plan." This plan included the non-negotiable principles of land expropriation and nationalisation of mines, both without compensation. The EFF sought to move away from a discourse of reconciliation to one of justice, Malema said. The EFF would hold a conference in Soweto on July 26 and 27 to work out its policies and manifesto. Picture: Werner Beukes/SAPA

Published Jul 26, 2013

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Johannesburg - The government is ready to take action if Julius Malema and his organisation, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), act on threats to seize farms, Beeld reported on Friday.

Agriculture Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson told the newspaper that if Malema and EFF supporters occupied farms or agricultural land, action would be taken.

“There is no way we will allow people to sow discord in our farming communities for party-political gains,” she was quoted as saying.

She was reacting to the EFF's founding manifesto, released on Thursday, in which the organisation said that all land should be transferred, without compensation, to the state.

Joemat-Pettersson told Beeld that it was a misperception that all commercial farmers were white. Violence and farm murders had already traumatised rural communities. Anyone who encouraged illegal action on farms would face the full might of the law, she said.

She warned farmers not to take the law into their own hands and gave assurances that Cabinet members of the security cluster would do whatever it took to stabilise the situation. - Sapa

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