Masina didn’t agree with everything Malema said despite saying ‘I fully agree’

Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina says his comment on Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema’s call to “let the white economy collapse” was misinterpreted.

Responding to criticism from DA MPs during the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs meeting on Wednesday, Masina said people got excited over a newspaper headline that misquoted him.

Masina posted a picture of a newspaper article in which Malema was quoted as saying “let the white economy collapse”, and said he “fully agreed” with his friend on “this one”.

“Until we nationalise all commanding heights of the economy – we need to restart this economy and make sure it favours the majority. Things can’t be sane again,” he said.

However, Masina said during the meeting that he was not in agreement with everything Malema had said, but only the call to “nationalise all commanding heights of the economy”.

He said: “I said in my tweet, and I wrote it myself, nationalise all the commanding heights of the economy. If that is racist according to you, you must think again. I don’t think you understood. Some people get excited by newspaper headlines.

“I had attached what Malema said in a statement and I then qualified specifically where me and him agree. I won’t take it back because to nationalise all the commanding heights of the economy is what we’ve been calling for. That must not be reduced to disrupting white business. I was not part of that conversation. I challenge members to go and check what is it that I said. White monopoly capital as a system is what we need to address here.

“I have never advocated for racism or killing of white business because people who come to donate and my own personal friends … I’ve got lots of progressive friends. But there are some white people who say things that are unimaginable.”

Masina further slammed members for not addressing the man who depicted Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as a monkey but instead attacked him when he was only there to do his job.

The ANC has released a statement rebuking Masina for his social media comment. In response, he said he was not afraid of getting fired.

READ MORE: Mzwandile Masina dares ANC to fire him over ‘WMC’ views, gets support from Malema

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