WATCH | Video of Malema calling for parliament to be sold resurfaces

A 2019 video of EFF leader Julius Malema calling for the National Assembly building in Cape Town to be sold and for parliament to be moved to Pretoria has resurfaced and is making waves on social media.

The video comes days after parliamentary buildings were damaged by fire.

In the video, Malema can be seen telling community members in Akasia, Pretoria, that parliament should relocate to Pretoria because ministers’ offices are based in the city and not Cape Town.

“That’s what other countries are doing. Both administration and legislator are in the same city. In that way you save resources,” Malema said at the time.

“We [must] sell that parliament, take the proceeds from the sale of that parliament and build a proper parliament.”

Malema said stories about wasting money building a new parliament were not true.

“We are going to sell and build. So we are saving a lot of money. It may not be in the immediate but in the long term. Removing flights and all types of luxury will make us save money.”

This week the EFF said the funds that would be used to repair the damage to parliament should be channelled to relocating it to Tshwane.

The party said keeping parliament in Cape Town was “maintaining the pact of the British and Afrikaner settlers”.

“To maintain this colonial pact of how we organise our society is nothing but a betrayal of African people and a reaffirmation that white racist spatial and political planning still overdetermines our lives in this country,” the party said.

EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu said keeping parliament in Cape Town was illogical.

“We all should agree that instead of repairing this colonial establishment, parliament must be relocated to a central and easily accessible area where the administrative capital is. Keeping parliament in Cape Town is plainly illogical. The pillar is one capital city,” said Shivambu.

EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said the parliamentary building should be turned into a museum.

“Whatever the cause. Whatever the intentions: it is a beautiful fire. A fire that allows us to start from scratch. A clean slate. Don’t renovate. Turn it into a museum as we accept a gift of so beautiful a fire. A clean slate to start afresh in Tshwane,” he said.

The EFF's proposal was met with a backlash from many, including DA federal chairperson Helen Zille and former MP Phumzile Van Damme, who questioned the financial, infrastructure, employment and constitutional implications of such a move.