News / Africa
Malema threatens to go to war
23 Apr 2016 at 12:43hrs | Views
Cape Town - EFF leader Julius Malema said during a televised interview that if the ANC continues to respond violently to peaceful protests "we'll remove this government through the barrel of a gun".
During an episode of Talk To Al Jazeera, Malema told Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull that if the ruling ANC continues to respond violently to peaceful protests: "We'll run out of patience very soon and we'll remove this government through the barrel of a gun."
At the beginning of the interview Hull asked Malema how far he was willing to go in his "war" against President Jacob Zuma and reminded him of his 2014 threat to make the entire Gauteng province ungovernable.
"'We'll fight," you said. 'We've the capability to mobilise our people and fight physically," Hull said. "That's not befitting of a government in waiting, is it?"
"We know for a fact that Gauteng ANC rigged elections here," Malema replied.
"We know for a fact that they lost Johannesburg and they lost Gauteng. But we still accepted it. But they must know that we're not going to do that this year. We're not going to accept. Part of the revolutionary duty is to fight and we're not ashamed if the need arise for us to take up arms and fight. We'll fight.
"This regime must respond peacefully to our demands, must respond constitutionally to our demands. And if they're going to respond violently – like they did in the township of Alexandra, just outside Johannesburg, when people said these results don't reflect the outcome of our votes, they sent the army to go and intimidate our people – we're not going to stand back. Zuma isn't going to use the army to intimidate us. We're not scared of the army. We're not scared to fight. We'll fight."
Hull asked Malema to clarify this. "When you say you're willing to take up arms, that's what you mean?"
Malema responded: "Yeah, literally. I mean it literally. We're not scared. We're not going to have a government that disrespects us."
Hull: "And on what basis, under which circumstances? If they respond violently to our peaceful protest."
Malema said: "We're a very peaceful organisation. We fight our battles through peaceful means, through the courts, through parliament, through mass moblisation. We do that peacefully. But at times, government gets tempted to respond to such with violence. They beat us up in parliament and they send soldiers to places like Alexandra where people are protesting. We'll run out of patience very soon and we'll remove this government through the barrel of a gun."
Earlier, Malema had denied that Zuma was his primary concern.
"We're not waged in a war against Zuma and the ANC. We're waging a war against white monopoly capital. Zuma isn't our enemy. The ANC isn't our enemy. Theyre standing in our way to crushing white monopoly capital, which has stolen our land, which controls the wealth of our country. As we are in the process of crushing the white monopoly capital, there will be some of those irritations that we have to deal with. Zuma represents such an irritation; the ANC represents such an irritation."
The 28-minute interview premieres on Al Jazeera English tomorrow at 21:30 CAT.
During an episode of Talk To Al Jazeera, Malema told Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull that if the ruling ANC continues to respond violently to peaceful protests: "We'll run out of patience very soon and we'll remove this government through the barrel of a gun."
At the beginning of the interview Hull asked Malema how far he was willing to go in his "war" against President Jacob Zuma and reminded him of his 2014 threat to make the entire Gauteng province ungovernable.
"'We'll fight," you said. 'We've the capability to mobilise our people and fight physically," Hull said. "That's not befitting of a government in waiting, is it?"
"We know for a fact that Gauteng ANC rigged elections here," Malema replied.
"We know for a fact that they lost Johannesburg and they lost Gauteng. But we still accepted it. But they must know that we're not going to do that this year. We're not going to accept. Part of the revolutionary duty is to fight and we're not ashamed if the need arise for us to take up arms and fight. We'll fight.
"This regime must respond peacefully to our demands, must respond constitutionally to our demands. And if they're going to respond violently – like they did in the township of Alexandra, just outside Johannesburg, when people said these results don't reflect the outcome of our votes, they sent the army to go and intimidate our people – we're not going to stand back. Zuma isn't going to use the army to intimidate us. We're not scared of the army. We're not scared to fight. We'll fight."
Malema responded: "Yeah, literally. I mean it literally. We're not scared. We're not going to have a government that disrespects us."
Hull: "And on what basis, under which circumstances? If they respond violently to our peaceful protest."
Malema said: "We're a very peaceful organisation. We fight our battles through peaceful means, through the courts, through parliament, through mass moblisation. We do that peacefully. But at times, government gets tempted to respond to such with violence. They beat us up in parliament and they send soldiers to places like Alexandra where people are protesting. We'll run out of patience very soon and we'll remove this government through the barrel of a gun."
Earlier, Malema had denied that Zuma was his primary concern.
"We're not waged in a war against Zuma and the ANC. We're waging a war against white monopoly capital. Zuma isn't our enemy. The ANC isn't our enemy. Theyre standing in our way to crushing white monopoly capital, which has stolen our land, which controls the wealth of our country. As we are in the process of crushing the white monopoly capital, there will be some of those irritations that we have to deal with. Zuma represents such an irritation; the ANC represents such an irritation."
The 28-minute interview premieres on Al Jazeera English tomorrow at 21:30 CAT.
Source - Sapa
