EAST LONDON, SOUTH AFRICA - JANUARY 23: Julius Malema appears for pre-sentencing in the firearms discharge case at East London Regional Court on January 23, 2026 in East London, South Africa. Julius Malema was convicted in October 2025 of unlawfully possessing and firing a firearm in public, from a 2018 incident where he fired a rifle at a rally. (Photo by Gallo Images/Randell Roskruge)
EFF leader Julius Malema says white South Africans should celebrate the existence of his party because it also exists to benefit them.
Malema was speaking at a party gathering in Boksburg on Sunday. His comments come months before the country holds the local government elections.
“We must make sure that even white communities have to be spoken to because they are being made to be scared of [non-existent] threats. Actually, what we are advocating for is the freedom of white people from high walls.
“They cannot even enjoy their gardens because they are hiding from high walls, but if we usher economic freedom to everybody in South Africa, there will not be a need for high walls because everybody is empowered, everybody is participating in the economy of South Africa.
“So, we need to tell white people, they have got nothing to fear; if anything, they have got everything to celebrate the existence of the EFF because it will bring them freedom to enjoy their neighbourhoods,” he said.
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Why are white people afraid?
He said the majority of white people have “fear” because they know that the majority of South Africans are not empowered, while they are.
“People do not have land, people do not participate in the economy; only the few minorities participate in the economy of South Africa, so they should be joining the struggle that the resources of South Africa should be shared among South Africans.
“They should be joining the struggle; the money must not go to corruption but must go to infrastructure development so that the communities of Alexandra, KwaMashu and Gugulethu can be serviced better.
“And when they are serviced better, our security is assured,” he said.
He said the EFF should not be the DA’s number one enemy, he said corruption should be the number one enemy for all South Africans.
“There is an immediate challenge of poverty and unemployment as a result of corruption,” he said.
Historic attitude towards white people
Malema has been labelled as a divisive politician because of his brutal language against white South Africans.
He has been taken to court for hate speech on various occasions; the most notable case is his chanting of the Kill the Boer song.
He was even denied a Visa by the British government when he was invited to give a speech at one of the universities there. United States President Donald Trump has also accused Malema of inciting violence against white people.
His party has always described itself as a force of the left.
‘He has a lot of challenges,’ says political analyst
Meanwhile, Andre Duvenhage, a political analyst from the North West University (NWU), described Malema’s latest view of white people as opportunistic.
“On the one hand, he is singing ‘Kill the Boer, kill the farmer’, on the other hand, he is denouncing the other position, saying white people must become part of the EFF. This is a contradiction, a sign of opportunism.
“Personally, I think he has a lot of challenges, personally and within his party, and now he is playing political games, one of which is trying to present a non-racial organisation in order to make it more acceptable.
“He is trying to take the focus away from himself and his party and towards other issues,” he said.
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