President Jacob Zuma on Thursday said he does not hate whites, but said he would speak the truth — that white people still benefit from the country’s wealth, especially when it pertains to land ownership.

“You cannot have a situation where there are people who have land of which they don’t know what to do with [it]. Others don’t have a single hectare,” said Zuma.

“There are those who robbed those of their possession and left them poor.”

Zuma denied that land redistribution would be done via Zimbabwe-style land grabs, saying government would be correcting the injustices of the past “within the Constitution and the law”.

The President did, however, leave the door open for law changes, saying if needs be amendments would be brought to the Constitution.

“What do I want the whites to do? Let us sit down and find a solution…so there’s no South African who have nothing while some have everything,” said Zuma.

“We want all South Africans to benefit from the wealth of the country, irrespective of colour or history.”

The man who brought up the question of what Zuma had against whites, Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald, then responded to Zuma, saying: “Can I say to the honourable President I accept your invitation. We can talk.”

Zuma said he does not hate whites and insisted his government and the ruling party believed in nonracialism.

“I have been in the trenches with them. I have been commanded by the whites in the war for freedom,” he said.

Zuma said if people wanted to kill whites, he would be among the first to fight and defend them.