Land is beginning and end, Malema tells property body

ROASTING: EFF LEADER ADDRESSES PROPERTY OWNERS

Investors should not fear black land ownership, says fiery EFF leader.

Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema says investors should not fear black land ownership because they would have access to more rental property at fair rental prices.

“Why would an investor oppose land redistribution? It would benefit them because land will be guaranteed for investors, because it will be available,” Malema said.

The outspoken leader was addressing the mainly white South African Property Owners Association in Cape Town yesterday.

He expressed shock that they invited his party to address them, outlining its radical stance on how it wanted the land to be returned to the black majority.

He added white property owners were self-centred for resisting progressive policies like the Freedom Charter, which sought to end land inequality and create massive industrialisation.

Alluding to landlessness among the black majority and lack of industrialisation, which would have contributed employment and economic growth, Malema said the landowners should take the blame. They had opposed policies that could resolve inequality and property issues, and lead to massive industrialisation.

“You are amongst those who demonised the Freedom Charter, you demonised the state-led industrial development at the centre of which is a state bank, land expropriation without compensation, state mining companies and free quality education. You have refused a scientifically tested development path that helped to create all the strong economies ... because your riches made you self-centred.”

He said the land belonged to all. “The land is the beginning and the end. If we don’t own the land, then we don’t own South Africa. The land belongs to us.”

He suggested that all land must be owned by the state and then redistributed equitably. Once proper allocation of land was done, more of it would be left for those who had been hungry for it.

Government corruption threatened property owners, he said, so they had to be active in fighting it. He invited them to speak out against graft and participate in protest actions instead of confining their fight to social media.