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WATCH: ‘It’s about real estate’ – Floyd Mayweather throws punch at SA land ownership
The gloves are off: Former boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather has left fans divided on his controversial comment about land reform.
Former boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather has weighed in on land ownership in South Africa, seemingly echoing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema’s take on land reform. Picture: GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File/KEVORK DJANSEZIAN
Floyd “Money”‘ Mayweather hopes to inspire more South Africans to own land.
The former American boxing world champion and promoter touched down at Lanseria International Airport on Sunday on his $50 million (about R900 million) TMT private jet, after a visit to Harare, Zimbabwe.
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‘We need that land back’
The world’s richest boxer with a net worth of $450 million (about R8.1 billion) then expounded on his vision of African ownership, saying Africans must “get land back”.
“I can sit and say everything, but it is all about giving back and growth and I want to see more people in South Africa have more ownership,” Mayweather said.
“Like myself, I own my career. I became my own boss. Even in America, it’s about real estate. I want people in Africa to have the same thing for themselves.
“You guys [Africans] have all the resources and the land, but we need a lot of that land back to the Africans and you guys need to own yourselves,” the 46-year-old American boxing icon urged.
WATCH: Floyd Mayweather addresses land ownership
Mayweather weighing in on one of the country’s most contentious issues sparked mixed reactions on Twitter.
Some tweeps were quick to quote his previous dismissive remark about the continent during his South African visit nine years ago.
When asked at the time about giving back and outreaches in Africa, the former boxer simply replied: “What has Africa done for me?”
Twitter reacts
The reactions ranged from references to the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF)‘s calls for radical land reform, to the “catastrophic” outcome of land distribution in Zimbabwe.
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Some tweeps wondered why Mayweather — who regularly embarks on extravagant shopping sprees and boasts an impressive property portfolio — does not put his money where his mouth is and assist Africans to acquire land out of his own pocket.
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