WATCH: Malema and Lekota get into a fight at Limpopo land hearing
A land hearing in Limpopo was marked by chaos, including vandalised metal detectors and a near-physical confrontation between the EFF and Cope leaders.
Lekota with Malema prior to them being separated at a public land hearing. Picture: EFF/Twitter
A chaotic gathering of members of the public in Limpopo’s Marble Hall on Wednesday included a heated confrontation between the EFF’s Julius Malema and Cope’s Mosiuoa Lekota, and they needed to be separated.
Lekota and Malema just got into a heated argument during the public hearings. It’s unsure what it was about, Lekota left his seat and has now moved. The crowd started were also enticed and started chanting “Juju” this video is the tail end of the scene #SAonLand (@AlexMitchley) pic.twitter.com/wFHdbWR8LJ
— Team News24 (@TeamNews24) June 27, 2018
The confrontation was reportedly sparked by something Lekota allegedly said that angered Malema, who started waving his finger in Lekota’s face. Lekota stood up and walked away.
https://twitter.com/ThetoThakane/status/1011966280570753026
The two are on opposite sides of the land debate, with Malema and his party central figures in pushing for expropriation without compensation and Lekota urging against it. The Cope leader has been quoted recently as saying that the policy will be disastrous, and that white people did not steal land from black South Africans.
READ MORE: People are going to die, claims Lekota on land expropriation
The hearing on land offered the public a chance to give their views started shakily when members of the public broke a metal detector at the venue. The venue also struggled to contain all the people who had come to have their say.
ANC members of parliament received boos from the crowd, while Malema was given a warm reception, with Lekota receiving both boos and cheers.
Malema and Lekota seem to be at loggerheads over more than just land. A recent tweet accusing Lekota of “loving whiteness more than himself” was retweeted by Malema.
https://twitter.com/JerryTaba/status/1011857247624888320
Malema has also been mercilessly mocking the Cope leader for recent tweets, such as Lekota’s boasting about giving away three soccer balls to a poor soccer team. Malema also expressed his bemusement at how few people had attended Cope’s recent “national congress”, which saw the commander-in-chief tweet “He banna, what?”
The ANC and Lekota were not the only ones booed at the land hearing. A white man who said land expropriation “will not lead to paradise” was also met with derision.
READ MORE: Malema says ‘He banna!’ to pics of Lekota’s tiny ‘national congress’
Even though Malema has a large support base, he should not be disrespectful to Lekota. Lekota has done alot more for the freedom of South Africans than Julius Malema. He must still learn from these old men without disrespecting them.
— Joe Sithole (@joejoesithole) June 27, 2018
#LimpopoLandHearings pic.twitter.com/UvfruRwDVM
— African Child (@ZikhonaTshona) June 27, 2018
People's reaction to the disagreement between Malema and Lekota #LimpopoLandHearings pic.twitter.com/C2E4g3xL6o
— African Child (@ZikhonaTshona) June 27, 2018
#LimpopoLandHearings Disagreement between EFF leader, Julius Malema & COPE leader Mosia Lekota in Marble Hall, Limpopo – 27 June 2018
Video credit #ZikhonaTshona pic.twitter.com/Ajtu4ZrWzK
— Zim Locals (@zimlocals) June 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/ThetoThakane/status/1011979220413796353
