#SONADebate: Malema accuses Ramaphosa of bluffing

EFF leader Julius Malema File picture: Mark Wessels/Reuters

EFF leader Julius Malema File picture: Mark Wessels/Reuters

Published Feb 19, 2018

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Parliament - Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema on Monday accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of making empty promises about expropriating land without compensation.

Malema said the investment community knew that Ramaphosa, who became South Africa's new president four days ago, was not serious when he used his maiden State of the Nation Address on Friday to signal that he would implement a ruling party resolution to dispense with the willing seller, willing buyer model of land reform under certain conditions.

"Anybody who is worried about investment will be worried about expropriation without compensation but they know you are just passing time ... you are bluffing," he told the National Assembly in the debate on Ramaphosa's speech.

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Malema added that it was spurious to attach conditions to land seizures because there were none when the land was taken from the indigent.

"There were no conditions, they just killed our people," he said, adding: "Anybody who is opposed to the expropriation of land without compensation is the enemy of the people."

Ramaphosa in his speech said that speeding up land reform would be part of a policy of boosting the agriculture sector.

Malema reminded Ramaphosa that he had a mandate of only one year because South Africans are due to vote in national elections in 2019.

He said it was clear that Ramaphosa had no firm policies, and this was why he had announced a series of summits and commissions to deal with pressing problems, ranging from youth employment to revenue collection.

But he reiterated that the EFF, a constant political thorn in the side of former president Jacob Zuma, had elected to give him a chance.

African News Agency/ANA

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