Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has renewed his party’s commitment to the fight for land expropriation without compensation, marking the occasion of the EFF’s Land Reclamation Day with a powerful speech in Sophiatown, Johannesburg.
Speaking to a large crowd at Sophiatown Extreme Park, Malema emphasized that the struggle for land began in 1652 when European settlers first arrived in South Africa. He argued that this marked not the beginning of history in the region, but the beginning of violent dispossession.
“We are here to claim the land that was stolen from our ancestors,” Malema said. “We are here to finish the work of those who were silenced and buried. We are here to take the land back, without fear and without compensation.”
Malema directly referenced Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival at the Cape on April 6, 1652, which he described as the launch of the European colonial project in South Africa. According to Malema, Van Riebeeck came not as a visitor, but as a representative of European imperialism tasked with securing land, labor, and resources for the Dutch Empire.
“He did not come as a tourist. He did not come as a refugee. He came to establish control, to create a refreshment station for Dutch ships, which eventually became a full-blown colonial settlement,” Malema explained.
He went on to say that the Khoi and San peoples were the first to suffer under colonial occupation. Malema accused Dutch settlers of using violent and oppressive methods to take over indigenous lands. “The settlers quickly transformed from merchants into landowners—not through negotiation or agreement, but through force. They displaced the Khoi and San from their ancestral grazing lands, erected fences, introduced foreign diseases, killed, raped, and enslaved people,” he said.
Malema criticized the recently signed Expropriation Bill, which outlines the conditions under which the government may take land, including with compensation in some cases. He reiterated the EFF’s firm stance that land expropriation should happen without any compensation to the current owners, arguing that the land was never fairly obtained in the first place.
“This land was stolen through violence and deceit. Our people were pushed off their lands and stripped of their dignity. The time has come to restore what is rightfully ours,” he declared.
The EFF leader’s remarks are part of the party’s broader platform aimed at addressing historical injustices and transforming land ownership in South Africa. Malema’s speech also called for unity and strength among supporters to continue the fight for economic freedom and land justice.
As always, Malema’s comments sparked debate on social media, with supporters applauding his bold stance and critics questioning the practicality and legality of uncompensated land expropriation.
The EFF maintains that true liberation can only be achieved when South Africans have rightful ownership of their ancestral lands—an issue they vow to pursue with continued urgency.