Malema slams ‘clowns’ and ‘sellouts’ after chaotic land debate

EFF leader Julius Malema took to Twitter on Monday night to dismiss his party’s critics at a debate about land expropriation without compensation that was hosted at Unisa on Monday.

The debate was attended by representatives from different political parties and academics, but was marred by hackling and scuffles from audience members whenever a speaker said something they disagreed with.

Anyone who was not aligned to the ideologies of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) was heckled during their address. Andile Mngxitama, the leader of Black First Land First (BLF), who has also been vocal about land expropriation without compensation, however, managed to deliver his speech without interruption.

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Malema then later said on Twitter that his long-time critic and former colleague in the EFF, Mngxitama, was a “clown” who was only being legitimised by being allowed to debate with the EFF. He claimed Mngxitama and his BLF were only taken seriously when they mentioned the EFF.

Malema’s second-in-charge, Floyd Shivambu, joined in to call their opponents “charlatans, staff riders and tricksters”.

Mngxitama, however, then issued a public challenge to Malema on Tuesday morning to debate him on “any topic they wish”.

Some saw Malema’s outburst as a sign of him having been “scared” to debate with the BLF, including Mngxitama himself.

Malema had also dished out blows to political analyst Prince Mashele and ANC national executive committee member and former ANC Youth League deputy president Ronald Lamola, who was brutally heckled at the debate.

He said they had nothing to offer and Lamola was “the biggest sellout of the generational mission for personal admiration”.

He intimated that something had happened between Lamola and then president Jacob Zuma following Malema’s expulsion from the ANC along with others who went on to start the EFF.

Lamola was stopped from speaking within five minutes on the podium.

After he left the stage, ANC members broke out in a song in protest that brought the seminar to a halt. A scuffle then broke out between ANC and EFF members in the audience.

The first session was chaotic and ended abruptly without going through the question and answers.

Congress of the People leader Mosiuoa Lekota was also called a sellout throughout the “debate”.