Decked out in full regalia, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) held a press briefing at their headquarters in Braamfontein on the party’s upcoming manifesto launch and following it’s national list assembly. EFF leader Julius Malema called on all young people to register to vote for the EFF on the 26-27 January. “Young people must take a decision that they will not leave it only to elderly and middle-aged citizens to determine political power and direction of society as it has been the case for the past 25 years,” he said. Here are five notable things Malema said ahead of the elections.
The results of the National List Conference
During the weekend of January 19-20, the party held a meeting to discuss the manifesto launch and the national list of individuals to serve in provincial legislatures and parliament. The party discussed the manifesto, which will be launched February 2 in Soshanguve, which was adopted by the central command team. Malema said issues like gender balance, youth representation, geographic spread, criminal vetting, and political and organisational conduct were taken into consideration while developing the national list. The list was chosen through a secret ballot.
“I was chosen as number one,” Malema said adding that that’s the only result that mattered.
The Manifesto Launch
Malema addressed concerns that the EFF would not be launching at a venue akin to the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban or the FNB stadium in Soweto. Inspired by Zimbabwe’s ruling party Zanu-PF who host rallies in villages, Malema said the EFF will “go where the people are.” The CIC said the party is doing away with the traditional way of hosting rallies at stadiums. Anyway, he said it isn’t cost effective. The party would much rather host a rally closer to the people so they can walk to the rally, instead of splashing on an inaccessible venue and then transportation for supporters.
Gripes with the DA
Answering a question from The Daily Vox about the posters the Democratic Alliance (DA) erected in Cape Town saying, “Register to keep the African National Congress (ANC) and EFF out of the Western Cape,” Malema said the DA has been insulting the party.
Malema said the DA had been calling them “VBS looters” going as far as to SMS and call people to tell them not to vote for the EFF. This was following a Treasury report detailing how EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu’s brother, Brian Shivambu, allegedly sent R10 million of the stolen R16.1 million from people who banked at VBS, to Floyd, with the party receiving R1.3 million of that money in October.
Malema said after the party insults the EFF, they expect them to vote together. “After putting up those posters and insulting us they will then ask us to vote with them?” Malema said. In a bid to punish the ANC, the EFF made a decision after the Local Government Elections 2016 to cooperate with the DA, enabling the DA to form coalition governments with DA mayors unseating their ANC counterparts in key metros such as Tshwane, Johannesburg, and Nelson Mandela Bay.
“They say Msimanga will be Premier: with whose help?” he said, referring to the DA’s dependence on the EFF.
There are no “party breakaways” from the EFF
Responding to another Daily Vox query, Malema said about the Black First Land First (BLF): “The BLF is not a breakaway of the EFF because Andile Mngxitama was never a member of the EFF when he created it”. The Congress of the People (COPE) are the only party who can be termed as a breakaways, Malema insisted. The party broke away from the ANC and was formed in 2008.
The EFF knows nothing about the Land Party of South Africa, touted as a new breakaway from the party. The Land Party will launch on January 25 in Braamfontein.
Ramaphosa and the State of the Nation Address
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s second State of the Nation (SONA) will likely happen during the second week of February. Malema said if the President does not answer before SONA about his son’s involvement with Bosasa. Bosasa is the company at the centre of the investigation taking place at the state capture inquiry. SONA will be disrupted, Malema confirmed if answers are not given to the party and the nation. “Once you treat that parliament like a toilet where you can dump your nonsense, we will not stand for that and you will be treated like a constitutional delinquent,” Malema said about the response Ramaphosa can expect.
Malema: The EFF is the only political party that has not received dirty money. #EFFPresser pic.twitter.com/ezm1lmdTqV
The Daily VOX (@thedailyvox) January 23, 2019
Reporting by Shaazia Ebrahim and Fatima Moosa
