EFF reasserts support for land occupation as Malema appears in court

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said it supports all struggles of the landless people to occupy land.

Its deputy president‚ Floyd Shivambu‚ made this comment on Monday after its leader Julius Malema appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on two counts of contravening the Riotous Assemblies Act.

The prosecution claims Malema incited‚ instigated‚ commanded or procured his EFF supporters and others to commit a crime‚ namely‚ trespass‚ by illegally occupying any vacant land wherever they found it.

“All the struggles of the landless people must be supported actively by the EFF. There are people who have proper houses because they identified the land and occupied it.

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“We reaffirm the conference resolution that we are going to support land occupation‚” Shivambu said outside the court.

Shivambu attacked the prosecution for its decision to charge Malema for the statements he made in 2014.

“Then they take the 1956 act. It was an act that was going to deal with the riot of black people. That law which the commander-in-chief is charged with is about protecting Europeans against non-Europeans‚” Shivambu said.

He said Malema’s defence had challenged the constitutionality of the Riotous Assemblies Act.

“We assure you we are going to emerge victorious. We are going to annul that Riotous Assemblies Act. We are going to reverse all apartheid legislation that exists‚” Malema said.

Shivambu said there were still a number of apartheid laws that still refers to black people as natives and non-Europeans.

“One thing for sure is that our programme is not going to be stopped by apartheid laws. That is the main reason why the EFF was formed to take forward the struggle that was not completed by liberation movement. We are going to reclaim the land in our lifetime.”

- TMG Digital