EFF leader Julius Malema says giving land to black people should be seen as restoring their dignity and giving them hope. Addressing residents of Khutsong in the West Rand, Malema further said an EFF government will put an end to the exploitation of poor communities by mining companies, with many having reneged on commitments to communities where they mine.
Malema was speaking while on the party’s campaign trail in Khutsong, Carltonville West of Johannesburg.
Gauteng’s Westrand is vast and flat, punctuated with mineshafts and pale yellow sand dunes, mine dumps that glitter with specs of gold. Khutsong in Carltonville, however, lacks the shine associated with the precious metal that gave birth to the metropolis that became Johannesburg.
Residents in the area say they have been forgotten by the democratic government, saying their lives are plagued by crime, high levels of unemployment, substance abuse, and non-existent service delivery.
“There is no improvement; infrastructure is lacking; we have no future that is going forward. The only thing that we are going to face, we are going to face young people using drugs, and alcohol,” says one of the residents.
“We want electricity. we have water challenges we are suffering from violence; people are killing each other,” says another resident.
Giving them hope, Malema visited the area on his campaign trail. He has been up and about in Gauteng province, gunning for support ahead of the May 29 elections.
Interacting with residents, he lamented the poor state of the area, pointing an accusing finger at the mines in the area that have reneged on promises to uplift the community with schools, clinics, and jobs, while securing mining licenses.
He says that under an EFF government, mining companies will be held to their commitments.
“They took your minerals. Those are the minerals that were supposed to give you a better life. When you look at people who have gold, it must show because the minerals are supposed to uplift society,” says Malema.
Malema has promised that the EFF will deliver clinics that are open 24/7, free education and uniforms for scholars, a job for at least one person in a family, as well as improved policing.
He says it’s shocking that 30 years into democracy, black people still don’t have land—something that his party intends to change.
“We are going to get the land in our lifetime. We are not going to get the land when we are dead. This land belongs to us. It is important to note that no one arrived in South Africa carrying a piece of land. They found this land here. This is our land. We will die on this land. We will die fighting for this land,” he says.
Malema called on the residents to change their lives by going out in their numbers at this month’s end.
“The real freedom is coming on the 29th of May. Economic freedom is coming on the 29th of May. The red flag of the EFF will fly over the union building when we salute that the revolution has taken over. Amandla!”
