"The majority of Indians are racist. I'm not saying all; I'm saying 'majority'..." — those were the words of EFF leader Julius Malema on Saturday. He was speaking at a Youth Day event at Matlosana Stadium in Klerksdorp, North West.
Twice in the space of as many weeks, high-ranking EFF leaders have made racist allegations about Indian South Africans — a fortnight ago, the party's chief whip in Parliament, Floyd Shivambu, attacked Treasury deputy director-general Ismail Momoniat, claiming he is "not African".
Julius Malema is a strange man. He gives Helen Zille the representative of land thieves political power and turns around and say Indians and coloureds are racist? S.A. needs black consciousness urgently!
— andile (@Mngxitama) June 16, 2018
Twitter, as usual, was full of controversial responses — both condemning Malema's race-baiting, and supporting it.
Based on the statements of Julius Malema over the past 12 months, the only conclusion I can reach is that the man is a racist.
— Ian Ollis (@ianollis) June 16, 2018
Dear #Malema and #EFF#India was colonised by the #British
They forcefully brought #Indians to work as #SlaveLabor on Sugar Plantations
Indians did not steal Land from you. They worked hard and survived.
Do not #hate on Indians. The #settlers who stole #land are the #Enemy
— India was a Colony. SA is still a Colony. Why? (@Adamitv) June 18, 2018
There's a "serious debate" going on about if #malema's racist utterances have merit. Well then, maybe #pennysparrow was right that a certain demographic behave like "monkeys"? Just smh.
— Safazz (@SaffaZimbo) June 18, 2018
#Malema dishing uncomfortable truths
He says black people cannot demand respect from others when we don't respect ourselves. We give each other bad service, selling bad quality goods to communities, not looking after our facilities and yet we want respect. #EFFYouthDayRally
— Fighter Lee 🎒 (@UnmovedLee) June 16, 2018
Beneath all his sound and fury, #Malema is a weird combination of 1950's socialism and SciFi dreaming. No wonder he remains leader of a fringe group
— Peter Mansfield (@Peterman43) June 14, 2018
Racism is harsh, I experienced it growing up in the early 90's. Surprisingly I went to a school with Indians in a predominantly Indian community & sadly the racism @Julius_S_Malema talks about is real. It still confuses me how the kettle can label the pot "black"!
— Sihle Tuta (@SihleTuta) June 18, 2018
@Julius_S_Malema might have been blunt in his "Indians are racist" stance but there is a grain of truth to this. There is definitely a conversation to be had around this. Not to exonerate anyone but these are fruits of the apartheid system, divide & conquer!
— Sihle Tuta (@SihleTuta) June 18, 2018
Eish - now @Julius_S_Malema is completely out of ideas. Racism is an inescapable consequence of our iniquitous history. Crying racism without a way forward or unpacking it in a coherent, intelligible way is just silly. https://t.co/MksVhkdSxL
— Maggs Naidu 😀😀😀 (@maggsnaidu) June 16, 2018
Malema is like an opportunistic self serving vitriolic racist hellbent on splitting SA racial divide .Insulting Indians whites and even Blacks depending how the wind blows..😳😳
— QueenSamantha (@2ahtnamas) May 16, 2018
@Julius_S_Malema I have so much respect for what you and the @EFFSouthAfrica stand for and the love you have for our people. But your utterances yesterday about majority of Indian and Coloured people being racist proves that you are not grown up enough to govern. #JuliusMalema
— Keith Franklin (@keitofranklin) June 17, 2018
What are #JuliusMalema's intentions for instilling fear to the people of SA?
— Thokzin (@Eita_olo_lo) June 16, 2018
Beneath all his sound and fury, #Malema is a weird combination of 1950's socialism and SciFi dreaming. No wonder he remains leader of a fringe group
— Peter Mansfield (@Peterman43) June 14, 2018
They are exactly like that #Malema...although you said Majority and not all...personally I'm yet to see those who are not...those who give you that loving smile, watch them closely, you will see who they are exactly... https://t.co/ugH3a4jAM2
— Legafele (@AceMgedeza) June 17, 2018
Most people who listen to #Malema without following #Andile they will think CIC is talking sense but once u start following#Mngxitama will start realizing that Juju is just a noise maker without making facts.
— @Imisshim (@SennaJohannes) June 17, 2018
@Julius_S_Malema does it again 🙈 ey this guy does not get tired hey. Dividing this nation one day at a time #Malema#EEF
— Peter David Cyster (@Peter_C_76) June 17, 2018
Mzansi people forgive Baba kaRatanang Malema,yesterday he insulted isilo today he says Indians and Coloureds in SA are rasist,I'm suspecting there are secret polls that are showing that EFF and DA are loosing relevance after Zuma,now they running all over like headless chickens pic.twitter.com/VTcpQbOpKO
— Zero Mobile (@zmobilefashion) June 16, 2018
What Malema is doing is called psychological subversion, it was invented by the KGB. He is creating an enemy for his base. You can't tell your base that they need to fight if there is no enemy to fight against. Hitler used the Jews, Idi Amin used the Indians, Julius - the whites.
— Siphamandla (@Sowellnomics) March 18, 2018
"I've never seen an Afrikan person in Europe fighting to be called European or in India fighting to be called Indian, but whites& Indians here are fighting to be called Afrikan, they take everything including our idendity"- J.Malema #EFFYouthDayRally
— NotYetUhuru (@mogodi_pat) June 16, 2018
All they discuss is Malema&EFF on a daily basis,Malema's interviews, his speeches,but in the same breath without shame they say EFF will be irrelevant since Ramaphosa;
The same Ramaphosa who has nothing to offer so much that they rely on EFF for news&debates;
What a contradiction
— Cash (@Caswell_Phasha) June 17, 2018
I watched both President Ramaphosa and Honourable Julius Malema's youth day speeches. And it was as clear as day light to me that our rulling party has lost touch of reality and EFF delivered some serious punches. 2019 I vote for EFF #youthday2018
— Keabecoe Choene (@preciousBoakye4) June 16, 2018
Watching Malema justifying his race threats... this man doesn't lead; he misleads.
— Solly MOENG (@Solitoliquido) June 14, 2018
SA media loves Malema's racist and toxic messages. This man needs less oxygen for his toxicity. Let's not make him more popular. He thrives on that.😷😷
— Justice4All (@Unathi_Kwaza) June 17, 2018
Malema is not dangerous because he talks genocide. What makes him really dangerous is his lack of a plan B. He has no backdoor and no room to retreat gracefully. If he loses, he will be executed or imprisoned for life. This is his death struggle as much as the Afrikaner's.
— guntergroup (@SCRUPEUSS) June 17, 2018