SOUTH AFRICA’S African National Congress Youth League leader Julius Malema has told a Zanu-PF rally in Zimbabwe that he is intent on copying the policies of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and nationalising South Africa’s mines and white-owned farms.
Addressing a rally of about 2,000 Zanu-PF youths on Saturday in Harare, Mr Malema, who only months ago called for Mr Mugabe (85) to step down as the party’s leader, heaped praise on Zimbabwe’s president, calling him a hero because he was “not afraid of imperialists”.
“In South Africa we are just starting. Here in Zimbabwe you are already very far. The land question has been addressed. We are happy that today you can account for more than 300,000 new farmers, against the 4,000 who used to dominate agriculture,” he said.
“We hear you are going straight for the mines. That is what we are going to be doing in South Africa. We want the mines. They have been exploiting our minerals for far too long. Now it’s our turn.”
The ANC youth leader leader also criticised Mr Mugabe’s transitional government partner, Zimbabwean prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai of the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), calling him an ally of western imperialists.
Mr Malema was found guilty of promoting hate speech by South Africa’s equality court recently for singing a liberation song with the words “kill the Boer” [Afrikaans for white farmer] in the lyrics and was banned from singing it in public.
However Mr Malema told those at the rally: “We will never retreat. If it means singing this song leads straight into jail, we are prepared to go there.”
Mr Malema is due to meet Mr Mugabe today. His trip has been criticised by the MDC because he did not arrange to meet members of the party during his visit.