Malema appears in court for ‘occupy land’ comments

Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema will appear at the High Court in Pretoria for violating the 1956 Riotous Assemblies Act.

Malema is charged for his 2014 “occupy land” comments where he said people could occupy land wherever they chose as per the Freedom Charter.

The EFF leader previously appeared at the Newcastle Magistrates’ Court charged under the 1956 Riotous Assemblies Act by the NPA for “inciting” his supporters to occupy land nationwide at an EFF conference in Bloemfontein in 2014.

“We are going to occupy the unoccupied land because we need the land. For us to eat‚ we must have the land. For us to work‚ we must have the land. I come from Seshego. If there is unoccupied land‚ we will go and occupy the land with my branch. You must go and do the same in the branch where you come from,” he reportedly told the gathering.

Malema is adamant that the apartheid-era law is constitutionally invalid.

Speaking outside the Newcastle Magistrates’ Court in KwaZulu-Natal, Malema said no white person rightfully owned the land anyway.

He said he wouldn’t be intimidated by the “apartheid” law, which he said Mandela was also charged under.

“Revolution is about making those that are comfortable uncomfortable. That’s what a revolution is all about!

“This act they are using here … this act was passed in 1956 as a response to the Freedom Charter, which was adopted in 1955. The Freedom Charter said people must occupy the land wherever they choose to occupy the land.

“The Boers … the apartheid regime, passed a law which ensured that no one is going to disturb the peace of Europeans. Mandela was tried with the same piece of legislation.

“This battle of the land is in the hands of the EFF. We will fight for it. No amount of intimidation will silence us. Not even torture. Not even anything can tell us to keep quiet about the land.”

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