Malema blasts ‘dying’ ANC, 'out of touch' Ramaphosa
EFF leader Julius Malema has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of misrepresenting the ANC-led government's achievements during the State of the Nation Address.
On Thursday, Malema held a press conference following the party’s manifesto launch at the Moses Mabhida stadium in KwaZulu-Natal this past weekend.
The EFF leader reiterated the red beret's call for the expropriation of land without compensation, job creation, improved education and healthcare, an end to load shedding, and economic growth, among others.
He's accused Ramaphosa of being out of touch with the lived reality of ordinary South Africans.
“He claims that the governing party has built strong institutions to protect fundamental freedoms and human rights of all people, yet it’s the ANC government that massacred 34 miners in Marikana, killed Andries Tatane, and continues to allow students to fall in pit toilets.”
The opposition leader lambasted the ANC-led government for failing to deliver economic freedom 30 years into democracy.
“More than 11 million people are unemployed. There are more than 3 million people in South Africa today who have lost all hope of ever finding a job and a majority are young people…
“In 1994 wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few and in 2024 the economy is still owned, controlled and dominated by the same few rich white people…”
President Cyril Ramaphosa's analogy of a born-free Tinstwalo; who benefitted from state programmes from birth until working age drew criticism from the opposition, who emphasised the battered economy and a high youth unemployment rate.
Malema said his party remains unapologetic over its radical policies to create jobs, grow the economy, and redistribute the land.
He also believes the move to suspend EFF members of Parliament was aimed at gagging the opposition.
EFF MPs ditched SONA after their court bid to overturn the suspension of Malema, his deputy Floyd Shivambu and four others from Parliament failed.
Malema said the suspensions were politically motivated: “The timing of the suspension was deliberate…to protect the dying ANC.”
The party also held its list conference to select those members who will represent the EFF in provincial legislatures and the National Assembly.
The names will be considered by the list conference committee before they are submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission.
Malema said the final selection process will be informed by merit and strict criteria.
“Some of the criteria includes more than 40% of the names on the list must be youth, 50% or more must be women, there must be at least 10 PhD holders in the EFF list to Parliament, a matric certificate is a minimum requirement to form part of the EFF list.”
The party will now embark on provincial manifesto events, with the culmination of the campaign set to take place in Limpopo on a date that is yet to be announced.
Malema said he believes the Ipsos poll prediction that the EFF may take over from the Democratic Alliance as the official opposition is not wide of the mark.
He’s confident the ANC will not make a comeback.
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