‘Black people are not cowards’: Six explosive quotes from Julius Malema’s Human Rights Day address

EFF leader Julius Malema addresses a commemoration at Sharpeville on March 21 2019.
Image: Via Twitter/@EFF

EFF leader Julius Malema delivered a Human Rights Day commemoration speech at Dlomo Dam in Sharpeville, Vereeniging, on Thursday.

Addressing scores of people in  EFF regalia, Malema spoke about the history of black people in Sharpeville and the PAC, among other things.

Here are six explosive quotes from his address:

Celebration of leaders from the apartheid regime

“Every person who killed and presided over the genocide of black people is celebrated. There are streets named after them, they have statues.”

Renaming Human Rights Day

“Today is not a human rights day, today is Sharpeville Day. Today is the day we are fighting for the rights of black people. We must not make any apology about that. This nonsense of non-racialism in defence of white privilege, we are not part of that nonsense.”

Black people first

“Today is the day for the rights of black people, that is what we’re fighting for. What human rights? They always had rights. We never had rights. We are here to fight for the rights of black people and therefore, Sharpeville Day means the rights of black people. We must call it by its rightful name. It’s a Sharpeville Day.”

Nothing against white people

“We have nothing against white people; we have a problem with changing history to suit white people. White people think they are good people, when they are not. They killed our people here on Sharpeville Day, they must be reminded forever.”

Let’s remember PAC

“Today is the day of PAC. Let us not rewrite history and say other things. Today is the day of PAC. Today is the day that was led by PAC.”

Black people are not cowards

“You are not children of cowards. You are children of men and women who confronted a well-armed murderous regime with stones. Only the brave can do that. Today we are here, because our parents are brave.”