Julius Malema: South Africa opposition leader warns of impending uprising
The controversial South African opposition figure, Julius Malema, has warned of an impending uprising similar to the "Arab Spring" that will target white people and "black elites".
"When the unled revolution comes... the first target is going to be white people," Mr Malema told the BBC's Hardtalk programme.
He demanded an "intervention" to boost the quality of life to avoid unrest.
The MP, known for strident views, has twice been convicted of hate speech.
He has also faced fraud and corruption charges, which were later dropped. Mr Malema said they were politically motivated.
The Arab Spring was a series of pro-democracy uprisings which began at the end of 2010 in Tunisia, where the president was toppled, and spread to several other countries in the region.
In the BBC interview, Mr Malema accused rich black people of committing "class suicide".
"The violence that is going to happen in South Africa is because the elite is disappearing and the poor are becoming more poorer," he told the BBC's Stephen Sakur.
"Therefore there's going to be something that looks like an Arab Spring. That, we are guaranteed."
Former President Thabo Mbeki issued a similar warning about a possible uprising last week. He criticised his own party, the governing African National Congress (ANC), saying it has no plan to deal with the problems of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
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Mr Malema also wants a national shutdown to protest against the ruling ANC.
"We are going to bring our bodies to the streets and demand that [President] Ramaphosa must resign.
As for his own party, the EFF, Mr Malema believes they would govern the country much better than the ANC.
"There's going to be the EFF that is going to take over South Africa and run it for the better."
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