“The nonsense of the mistreatment of the LGBTI+ community must end,” Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema said at the party’s manifesto launch in Soshanguve on February 2. The EFF leader also spoke briefly on gender equality.
Malema said homosexual people are also people and need to be treated as such. Members of the queer community must be respected and able to exercise their rights, he said.
In November 2018, the party held a manifesto consultative session with the LGBTQI+ community in Johannesburg. The EFF leadership used the inputs from the queer community in their manifesto.
In their manifesto, the party outlined the steps they would take to protect the community including amending the Criminal Law Amendment Act to include harsher punishments for hate crimes.
The EFF leader also spoke on women.
“A key to female emancipation is the emancipation of all,” Malema said. The party has vowed to realise the liberation of women if they take over the government of South Africa.
The manifesto addresses the issue of the circle of oppression that faces black women saying the responses to tackling gender-based violence have been superficial and did not understand the causes of the vulnerability of women.
Making comments about the pay gap, Malema used the example of the national soccer teams.
“The most dysfunctional team Bafana Bafana is paid more than Banyana Banyana, who wins,” Malema said. He said people must be paid according to ability and achievements and not gender.
Malema then when on to denounce the remnants of apartheid in South Africa. He said apartheid leaders: “raped our people, raped our land and raped our cattle.”
Read the full EFF manifesto here.
Reporting by Fatima Moosa and Shaazia Ebrahim.
