Julius Malema comes to Kenya; why he will visit and his memorable quotes

Julius Malema, the firebrand South African opposition politician and the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is coming to Kenya on Thursday.

Malema has positioned himself as a pan-Africanist and has never shied away from commenting on issues affecting any African country.

When Kenya’s opposition leader, Raila Odinga, organized protests against President William Ruto’s government, Malema criticized him, insisting that Mr. Ruto should be given time to work. The comments were not taken very kindly by Raila’s Azimio Coalition.

Mr Malema is expected to speak as a keynote speaker at an event to launch the Pan-African Institute at the Lukenya University in Makueni County. He will speak alongside his host, Prof PLO Lumumba.

Youthful leader

SABC correspondent Robert Lutta spoke to Sylvia Kasanga, a Member of Parliament in Kenya on Malema’s visit to the country (See interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnLVX89B1BE ).

The youthful leader, now head of the third largest party in South Africa, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is known for his outspoken and often controversial statements.

One of the most memorable quotes in Kenya was contained in an acclaimed speech at the late Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s funeral in April 2018 that sparked a social media buzz with the #JuliusMalemaChallenge

During the speech, Malema said those who betrayed Madikizela-Mandela while she was still alive were at her funeral. He then asked for her to send a signal on what should be done to deal with the critics now that she’s gone.

Memorable quotes

Here are some other memorable quotes attributed to him:

1. “We are not scared of whites. We are not scared of Boers. We are not scared of Afrikaners. We are not scared of farmers. We are not scared of whites. We are not scared of capitalists. We are not scared of the bloody imperialists. We are not scared of the bloody agent of the CIA. We are not scared of the agent of the Federal Reserve. We are not scared of other nations.”- Julius Malema, 2011
2. “I want to send a strong message to all the white racists who are still calling us k****rs that our dignity is not negotiable; you can insult us all you want, we are not going to stop fighting for our dignity.”- Julius Malema, 2014
3. “We are not calling for the slaughter of white people – at least for now. What we are calling for is for peaceful occupation of the land and we don’t owe anyone an explanation.”-Julius Malema, 2018
4. “We don’t want you to think we’re just crazy people. We are people who are ready to die for our people.”- Julius Malema, 2014
5. “The land question can only be resolved through the expropriation of land without compensation.”- Julius Malema, various speeches

Julius Malema is known for his provocative rhetoric, and these quotes may not represent his entire political ideology or positions accurately. His statements often generate controversy and are frequently taken out of context or debated within the South African political landscape.