Tshwarelo Hunter Mogakane
Pretoria - Left-wing political leaders have taken a standpoint to challenge Britain to return wealth belonging to African countries, following the death of Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabeth, 96, died at her Scottish Highlands property, Balmoral Castle, on Thursday after reigning for 70 years.
Her son, Prince Charles, was immediately named the King of England and was officially installed as the new monarch on Saturday.
While the queen’s death has attracted condolences from South African government leaders it fell short of gaining sympathy from political parties whose policies revolve around the return of the land to black people.
During the peaceful picket that took place outside the offices of the public protector in Pretoria on Friday, EFF leader Julius Malema did not resist the opportunity to speak about the late monarch.
“It would be wrong for me to leave this mic without saying to Britain and everyone who cares we do not mourn the death of a coloniser and a murderer who came and killed our people, and who proudly wore stolen goods on her forehead.
“We have nothing to do with the queen. Today, people tweet that they mourn the queen, but when Helen Zille said ‘not everything is bad about colonialism’ you all said ‘Helen Zille is a racist, how can she praise colonialism?’ By mourning and praising the queen, you are not different from Helen Zille.
“The queen does not represent anything good. Britain has a lot of gold, yet they don’t have a single gold mine. Those are stolen goods. We must talk about reparations. We must talk about the return of the gold. We must talk about the stolen diamond,” said Malema.
The EFF leader said South Africans who claimed they were liberated were only dreaming.
“How can you be oppressed for so many years but under liberation you have nothing to show that you have been liberated? You have no land, you have no bank and you have no mine. The only thing you have is hatred for other Africans.
“We want all (political parties) to come together and make sure that we fight for a historical mission, which is the return of the land. Even the public protector must investigate the stealing of the land,” he said.
Yesterday APC President Themba Godi agreed with the EFF, but differed on approaching the public protector on the stealing of land.
“The APC believes that the passing away of the queen of the English is an opportunity to reflect and reckon with the sordid history of the English in Africa and elsewhere. She represents colonial plunder, theft, murder and enslavement.
“South Africa, like all former victims of English colonialism, lost immense minerals to this monarch. Her family owns the largest clear diamond in the world, ‘the Great Star of Afrika, mined in 1905 in South Africa. It is worth about R6 billion.
“Stolen minerals, together with artefacts, must be returned to Africa. There can be no liberation, partnership or reconciliation without the atonement for the stolen wealth of South Africa and the continent. Otherwise, the pain and hatred will be perpetuated,” said Godi.
He further called on the South African government to relinquish its ties with the Commonwealth, which is presided over by the British government.
“For the APC, South Africa has no business being a member of the Commonwealth, whose head is the monarch of the English. All African countries should withdraw from the so-called Commonwealth as an act of liberation. England is today rich on account of the sweat, toil and blood of Africans and their wealth.
“From oral and written history we know how the land of the African people was stolen. The major task before us is the repossession of the land.
“We have a colonial situation of land dispossession. As APC we are not interested in reparations, we want the land back, we are the majority, not a minority. Repossession of the land will wipe away centuries of national humiliation. Our just reward will be regaining our sovereignty which is more precious than any money,” said Godi.
The parties have constantly lambasted the ANC and President Cyril Ramaphosa for failing dispossessed South Africans on getting their land back.
According to a Google search, Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm covers a jaw-dropping 4 500 hectares. In comparison, Google reflects the overcrowded Alexandra township as an area of land covering a mere 800 hectares.
Godi labelled this as a shocking development.
“It is shocking to note that President Ramaphosa is a land baron. Also, the wealth disparity between him and the overwhelming majority of the people is so huge there is no possibility to have a shared world-view or ideological view.
“President Ramaphosa therefore can never be a proponent of substantive land reform. The APC has always advocated that land be shared equitably to ensure that, especially women, youth and rural people, have access to land. In view of the Phala Phala malfeasance it does raise questions of how President Ramaphosa acquired the farm,” Godi said.
Pretoria News