WATCH: Trevor Noah applauds Malema’s ‘perfect’ views on xenophobic attacks

South African-born comedian and host of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah, took to Twitter to agree with Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema’s views on the ongoing xenophobic violence and looting that has plagued Gauteng recently, delivered at a press conference last week.

“I don’t always agree with Julius Malema but this statement on xenophobic attacks in SA is perfect,” Noah tweeted.

Malema, during a media briefing at EFF headquarters in Braamfontein last Thursday afternoon, expressed the view that foreign nationals were being scapegoated, and that fellow South Africans would be next.

“When you are done with Nigerians, when you are done with Mozambicans, and Zimbabweans, and Zambians, you are going to go for Shangaans from Giyani, I have to stop you now before you come for me. Now some of us can’t even talk your language, they are going to ask us to make certain pronouncements in their language, and we can’t pronounce …  [we’ll be sent] back to Limpopo. We are going to be victims,” he said.

Malema is referring to the xenophobic practice of South Africans making people who are believed to be foreigners pronounce words in Zulu or another local language in a bid to prove they are not from South Africa.

“Celebrate and be happy and say the nonsense you are saying about foreigners and Nigerians, go on. When they are done, they are coming for you,” Malema continued.

READ MORE: White people fuel attacks by ‘preferring’ foreign nationals – Malema

“They are going to say no, the reason we don’t have jobs here is because of these Zulus, they must go back to Natal. The reason we don’t have jobs here is because of these Xhosas, they must go back to the Eastern Cape. The reason we don’t have jobs here is because of these Pedis, here, it’s these Vendas, ‘back!’.

“Because there will be no foreigner to fight. But poverty will remain, hunger will remain, the inequality will remain.

“I said the other time bring all the buses lets put all these Nigerians and Zimbabweans in buses, let’s take them back and let’s see if you get employment tomorrow.

“It’s a myth, it’s the most stupid thing to think of, you are justifying crime and you give it nice names, called xenophobia, Afrophobia, it’s crime and it must be dealt with as such.

“I am not going to join anyone who beats up an African person, I’m not part of that mess. I will never even support anyone who was to stone a white person, it doesn’t matter the amount of disagreements we are having with them,” he said, adding that this kind of behaviour was “unjustifiable”.

“It’s barbaric, it’s madness.”

“It is not a Nigerian, it is not a Zimbabwean who killed Uyinene, it is us, South African men,” he said, referring to the recent murder of 19-year-old student Uyinene Mrwetyana, which is among the incidences of violence against women in South Africa currently spurring widespread outrage.

I don’t always agree with Julius Malema but this statement on Xenophobic attacks in SA is perfect. pic.twitter.com/VDIYViwpqi

— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) September 9, 2019

When Noah mentioned not always agreeing with Malema, he may be referring to the backlash which followed in May after he aired a compilation of the EFF leader’s past comments on his influential US satirical TV show, comparing Malema to American President Donald Trump.

He played a clip in which Malema said he did not know the future and was not calling for the killing of white people, “at least not for now” and said the EFF leader talked about the genocide like a remodelling of his kitchen.

He was highly criticised by some South Africans at the time and accused of encouraging the white genocide narrative that some members of the right in America believe about our country.

WATCH: Trevor Noah jokes about Malema and ‘white genocide’ on Daily Show, divides SA

Country Duty leader Tumi Sole said: “Julius is Donald Trump of Mzansi? Ya neh! Call it what you want but Trevor perpetuates the Afriforum fear-mongering that there’s white genocide in South Africa. The issue is the comparison in a non-existent genocide. I’m not talking about his satire, he can do that. But akere we catching feelings.”

However, some defended Noah and said he’d only replayed Malema’s past interviews and commented on them.

It was Malema’s duty to be careful with his words, they argued.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman)

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