Harare -
Expelled ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema has called on South African whites to surrender land and minerals resources because “when they came from Europe they did not carry any land into South Africa”.
“Actually they killed people to get that land and those minerals.
“We are not going to give them money when we take the land back because it will be like we are thanking them with money for killing our people.
“We will never do that. Little did they know that we are not scared of blood. We are scared of defeat.
“We don’t want to be defeated but seeing blood is not what we are scared of as long as that blood delivers what belongs to us we are prepared to go to that extent.”
Malema was speaking at a posh Harare wedding reception held in one of the most expensive suburbs in Harare.
He told guests that Zimbabwe’s “achievements” were an “inspiration to Africa” at a time when Zimbabwe is begging SA and Angola for loans of nearly R1 billion as the treasury in Harare is empty.
“We want to be remembered as a generation of economic freedom fighters,” Malema said.
His wedding speech was reported in the pro Zanu-PF daily, The Herald, but he was not available to confirm if it quoted him accurately.
“We are coming here to Zimbabwe not because we are running away from problems, but to gain strength because what you have achieved is an inspiration to Africa,” he was reported as saying.
“Don’t listen to imperialist newspapers. You have achieved a lot.
“You are running your own country, you have been managing your own affairs and you are not controlled by foreigners.
“We are not a generation of mini-skirts. We are a generation that continues with the struggle of President [Robert] Mugabe, of President [Nelson] Mandela.”
At a time when there are at least 40 political prisoners in appalling conditions in Zimbabwe’s filthy maximum security prison, Malema praised Mugabe for delivering “political freedom and democracy”.
He made a long speech, which the Herald said made many of the well-heeled guests laugh.
Malema said he was in Harare to attend a “beautiful wedding so we left our political vocabulary at home… We want to dance and enjoy Zimbabwe and see what Harare will offer us.”
Malema said he and his colleagues had been to Zimbabwe many times and were hosted by indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere, who he referred to by his nickname, Tyson.
“When I was coming to this wedding, they said in South Africa that I was running away from problems and I was coming to seek asylum here in Zimbabwe.
“Little did they know that I will never run away from South Africa. I will never run away from problems because problems are my life.’
He handed over a gift of about R50 000 to the bride Tendai Wenyika and her new husband, Mike Gava.
Malema told the couple: “You must never be ashamed of having many kids; you must be ashamed of having many wives”, in an evident reference to polygamous President Jacob Zuma, his arch-enemy.
“Many wives are not an alternative. They spread diseases because that is multisexual relationship and they are not protected.”
“We want to see many kids, why? Because we must reproduce ourselves. For our ideas to be sustainable, we have to reproduce ourselves. In the whole of Africa, we are not more than one billion and the world has seven billion people.
“In Africa we have not more than one billion people… facing more than six billion. We have to be half of that so that our ideas can dominate. I know that in some instances size does not matter… but when it comes to a revolution, size matters.”
The wedding was attended by senior Zanu-PF officials including Nathan Shamuyarira and his wife, David Parirenyatwa, Saviour Kasukuwere, Chris Mutsvangwa, Patrick Zhuwao and their wives.
Almost the entire ANC Youth League leadership also attended the wedding.
Malema was not available for comment but had a message for callers on his cellphone: “We will not remember the words uttered by the enemy… we will remember the silence of our friends during this difficult time. Never surrender. Never retreat. Victory is certain.”
Independent Foreign Service