There’s been a furious reaction of social media to Malema’s remarks at the Youth Day rally

Julius Malema declared that black South Africans have suffered more than any other race.

He rounded on Indian journalists for coming to the defence of the deputy secretary general in the Treasury Ishmael Momoniat after EFF chief whip Floyd Shivambu objected to the presence of a non-African at a Parliamentary committee meeting.

Malema said there’s a tendency among South African Indians  to look down on Africans and that there was a hierarchy of oppression under apartheid.  He also said Indians were better off than mixed race South African called Coloureds, who were in turn better off than Africans.

According to Malema, this is why the liberation struggle was to free blacks in general and Africans in particular.

He went on to say that Africans must never apologize for this, and they must never be scared to say most Indians are racist. 

He also claimed that  the majority of Indians hate Africans.

Malema believes that this a reality Africans have to deal with.

This is not an entirely new issue. A year ago Mama infuriated the Indian community saying they exploited African workers and monopolized the economy of the KwaZulu/Natal province where most of them live. 

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He’s been temporarily replaced as acting premier of NorthWest province by a woman who’s facing fraud charges alongside him.

Premier Supra  Mahumapelo remains defiant claiming he’s the  victim of a political conspiracy between the ruling African National Congress and the ultra-left Economic Freedom Fighters.

He was due to announced his resignation yesterday (Wednesday) after talks at the weekend with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

However, his supporters and dependents have prevailed on him to dig in his heels.

Wendy Nelson, a member of his provincial executive who is also accused of fraud has been sworn in as his temporary replacement. 

There’s no indication how long he will remain on leave.

Mahumapelo, who’s offices have been raided by members of the serious crimes investigation unit known as the Hawks, has allegedly issued provincial tenders to friends and presided over the collapse of the provincial health service.

There have been violent demonstrations in the provincial capital Maheking demanding his dismissal.

Mahumapelo’s  defiant cling to power is reminiscent of ousted Predsident Jacob Zuma.

The premier remains a steadfast supporter of Zuma, maintaining he should never have been forced to resign.

His  gift to Zuma of a herd of cattle ostensibly bought from provincial funds to help emerging farmers is among the items being investigated by the Hawks.

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The cattle breeder says Zuma personally signed for the beasts that were delivered to his personal home Nkandla.

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The 24 cows and one bull worth more than 100 000 euros were paid for with public money and were supposed to have gone to emerging farmers in North West province,

Cattle breeder Lucas Msiza says he was instructed by NorthWest provincial premier Supra Mahumapelo to deliver them to Zuma’s home in KwaZulu/Natal.

NorthWest province was torn by violent protests last week calling for the premier to be sacked for corruption

President Cyril Ramaphosa came home early from the Commonwealth summit in London to deal with the crisis.

He says government is looking as serious issues in NorthWest concerning the premier’s position.

The far-left Economic Freedom Fighters have called on the Ombudsman, known in South Africa as the Public Protector, to probe the allegation of the gift cattle and to force Zuma to pay back the money if there is any impropriety.

Since being ousted in mid-February, Zuma has remained in the headlines.

Last week, 24 year old Nonkanyiso Conco said she had given birth to his 23rd child on April 12 which was Zuma’s 76th birthday.

She says he plans to make her his seventh bride.

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He says the killing of 34 striking platinum miners by police deserves to be commemorated as seriously as the 1960 Sharpeville massacre of black protestors by apartheid police.

Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema was addressing thousands at the fifth anniversary commemoration of the Marikana massacre.

That was when police shots  cut down 34 striking miners after a week of violence that had claimed  ten more lives.

Malema’s party colleague Advocate Dali Mpofu, who represented the miners families at the commission of inquiry following the massacre, says government has not yet compensated the families of the dead.

EFF MPs have contributed a million rand to help build houses for miners’ families at Marikana.

Malema says further contributions will be made.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa remains at the centre of the tragedy.

As a shareholder of the Lonmin Platinum Mine that employed the strikers he called for police action at the time to end the work stoppage.

He has subsequently apologized for  making this request.

Nevertheless the general secretary of the miners’ union AMCU Joseph Mathunjwa said Ramaphosa was not welcome at the commemoration ceremony.

Ramaphosa who is challenging for the leadership of the ruling African National Congress at its elective conference later this year, was a Marikana yesterday . He went to visit widows of the slain strikers.

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The EFF members, sporting their red overalls or maids uniforms traded punches with security staff as they were manhandled from the house by security staff.

Guests of MPs in the public gallery were left weeping with pepper spray as the battle raged below between lawmakers who called President Jacob Zuma a constitutional delinquent and security staff.

The Economic Freedom Fighters  maintain Zuma broke his oath of office by defying the public protector’s order to repay money taken from the public purse to pay for improvements to his private home.

Speaker Baleka Mbete has ordered an investigation of what she called an unacceptable security breach.

The opposition Democratic Alliance led by Mmusi Maimane also left the chamber.

He said the behavior of the ANC government was worse than that of apartheid leader P.W. Botha

When President Jacob Zuma eventually took to the podium after a 90 minute delay he spoke of the need for a radical economic transformation in South Africa to right the imbalance that existed 23 years after the dawn of democracy.

Zuma says less than five percent of property in South Africa is owned by blacks

He says government will use every means in its power to achieve this transformation.

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Members of the opposition Democratic Alliance then walked out in protest against the presence of armed police in the House.

The delivery of President Jacob Zuma’s state of the nation speech, traditionally listened to in silence by members in a joint sitting of the upper and lower houses, was delayed by an hour as red-boiler-suited members of the Economic Freedom Fighters rose on questions of privilege.

They asked when Zuma would comply with the Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s ruling that he pay back money used to personally enrich himself from state-funded security improvements to his private home.

Speaker Baleka Mbete responded that this was not the occasion for such questions. When he persisted, she ordered Julius Malema to leave the chamber.

He refused.

When the Sergeant at Arms from the National Assembly and Black Rod from the National Council of provinces could not move him, Mbete ratcheted up matters.

Parliamentary leader of the Democratic Alliance Mmusi Maimane led a walkout when the speaker would not confirm that the armed men involved in scuffles with the EFF members were police.

He told reporters in the lobby

That having police in the House violated the consitution and the rule of law that Nelson Mandela had worked for.

Zuma who grinned through the ruckus began his speech saying South Africa’s growth target of five percent annually was under threat because of slow global economic conditions.

However the job situation’s more promising with more than 15 million South Africans in employment.

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Senior colleagues of leader Julius Malema accused him of dictatorial behaviour. At least two of the party’s 25 MPs have refused to stand for executive posts.

There’s been a pattern of violence at meetings of the year-old Economic Freedom Fighters. To the extent that the ruling African National Congress as dismissed the breakaway party as fascist rebels The EFF seemed have curbed this disruptiveness at its first elective conference in Bloemfontein at the weekend.

The party’s top six leaders were elected unopposed.

But then members claimed party leader Julius Malema – who formed the EFF after being expelled as ANC Youth League leader – is trying to impose his preferred candidates on the collective.

Delegates revealed a list of preferred members aligned to Malema which had been circulated among provincial leaders.

Angry EFF members call the unopposed nomination of central command team leaders a farce.

Malema then took to the podium and warned other provinces that they are encouraging anarchists.

Members from the country’s heartland Gauteng province booed the commander-in-chief and led a walkout as nominations drew to a close.

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