Anglican Bishop of Johannesburg, the Right Reverend Dr Steve Moreo on Thursday condemned the racism being peddled by Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema, saying it had become a cancer that was "eating away the rejuvenated healthy cells of Ubuntu".

In familiar style Malema made racialised comments during the EFF's Youth Day event.

“[The] majority of Indians hate Africans, [the] majority of Indians are racist, and we must never be scared to say that. They are racist. I’m not saying all Indians, I’m saying the majority of them. The same thing applies to some of the coloured brothers,” Malema said at the time.

Moreo said the comments that have been made were nothing more than hate speech - a political tool that was reminiscent of the most abhorrent racism of apartheid, against which millions of South Africans fought to attain their freedom in 1994. 

The Bishop added that the nature of their attacks was such that he feared the country may be beginning to see a roll-back of the very freedoms for which great men and women of the struggle fought.

“The souls of South Africans are slowly being eaten away by the hate speech of people like Malema and Floyd Shivambu who have clearly embarked on an offensive of naked racism to harm the country,” averred Moreo.

Moreo stated that Malema and his comrades have a great need to understand and embrace Ubuntu.

“They have a responsibility, as elected leaders, to engage others, and speak about their differences, and find one another. That is the African way. That is the Ubuntu way. Why would the EFF leaders shun this?” added Moreo.

The Bishop called on Anglicans in his diocese to continue to engage with one another to overcome the renewed scourge of racism that has reared its satanic head in the land.