Soweto – EFF leader Julius Malema has addressed the recent departures of former allies from the party, dismissing them as "betrayals" while simultaneously defending his land policies against criticism from US entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Speaking at St Paul African Apostolic Church in Soweto on Sunday, Malema drew parallels between his own experiences and those of the pastor, who had also faced "betrayal" from within his family.
Malema stated: “I'm not shocked when you say the family and his brothers left him. I also lost my brothers; they turned against me and I never looked back.”
“I've never, not once, looked back when my brothers turned against me. It's not the first time brothers have turned against each other; it's in the Bible. It didn't start with them, so why should I be a crybaby when they turn against me? Pastor, you must not be worried about the negative things said about you. When you do good there will always be people who speak badly about you.”
The rift between Malema and these former EFF leaders has widened in recent months.
Mpofu, who left the party in November, recently took a jab at Malema, jokingly suggesting that he, Shivambu, and Ndlozi would co-author a book titled The Three Betrayers. Ndlozi, however, rejected this label, pledging to never join forces to undermine Malema.
“I hold nothing in my heart against the president of the EFF. I worked closely with him and as a leader he has gone through a lot. I think his contribution is of serious importance and I would never join any voice to write him off or to dismiss the EFF,” Ndlozi said.
Malema Responds to Elon Musk's Criticism
Malema also addressed criticism from Elon Musk, who recently called for sanctions against him and for him to be declared an international criminal. Musk's post was in response to a video of Malema from 2018 in which he says, "We will cut the throat of whiteness," reacting to Nelson Mandela Bay's coalition politics.
The EFF has since stated that it would "not be cowed into submission, retreat nor capitulation from its principled and unwavering commitment to confront imperialism and its surrogates like Elon Musk anywhere and everywhere it rises its ugly head".
In his ramped-up efforts to pressure South Africa, Musk has based his campaign on false information about land grabs.
He added: "Why would I sit with these white people if I want to kill them? Why do you make me an international criminal for asking for the dignity of black people? I have not committed any crime against anyone except to say, 'Let's restore the dignity of black people. If you don't have land, you'll never have dignity'."
Malema defended his stance on land redistribution, telling white farmers, "You're not going anywhere because it's nicer in South Africa".
"We might look like we're a nation that's in a racist conflict. We're not in a racist conflict; we're in a robust engagement as people who were excluded from the economy, and that robustness might look like it's violence against a particular nation, it is not. It's our cry to have our dignity back."
Malema also drew parallels between his advocacy for land redistribution and the situation in Palestine, stating that both are cries for dignity.
He concluded his address by referencing the biblical story of brothers' betrayal, reiterating his commitment to his cause despite the departures of former allies. "They don't know my faith. They don't know my God and my ancestors. I'll never be destroyed by that which has never built me," he said.
