Johannesburg - EFF leader Julius Malema has taken a swipe at newly-elected ANCYL president Collen Malatji and other youth leaders, who earlier this week accused him of being ill-disciplined and stealing ANC policies to further his career as EFF leader.
On Monday, while addressing members of the media at a briefing held at Luthuli House, Malatji said Malema was booted out of the ANC due to ill-discipline. He added that the EFF was a cult organisation where the most educated leaders were not allowed to speak.
These comments by the youth leaders were earlier articulated by ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, who in March said Malema stole the idea of the EFF’s seven cardinal pillars from the ANC.
On Thursday, Malema addressed members of the media two weeks ahead of the EFF’s 10-year celebrations set for Soccer City Stadium on July 29 and said it was not true that he had stolen the ideas of the ANC.
He said, unlike other parties, the EFF does not take kindly to members who do not deliver on their mandates, adding that the recent comments by Malatji that the Red Berets had misappropriated ANC policies were misguided, as he pronounced on these a long time ago.
“We radicalised the Youth League; just go and listen to my speech of 2011, both the opening and closing addresses of the 2011 Youth League Conference. My history is there. Just go on social media. I was a ground force and was active on the ground from Cosas to the Youth League in the ANC and the EFF, and therefore, I can’t even recite the cardinal pillars for you because you must just go online; there are videos of Julius Malema before we termed them the seven cardinal pillars.
“These kids now say these things are theirs. You look at when Julius Malema said them, and then you look at the age of that child who says he owns the cardinal pillars. For sure, when we were making utterances, possibly they did not even have an ID (identity document) ... These are things we said a long time ago,” he said.
He said the party has contributed and made the lives of the poor far more meaningful since it was formed after Malema was dismissed from the ANC following reports of violating the ANC’s constitution, among other things.
Malema, along with senior leaders of the organisation, brought the celebrations to Uncle Tom’s Hall in Soweto, where 10 years ago they met in the same hall to form the EFF.
He urged those in attendance to continue supporting and donating to the party and added that the party had already raised at least 100 cows for the EFF’s celebrations.
“We have shaken the enemy, as they don’t want the revolution to be funded. The revolution has to be funded, so donate more, donate to the revolution, and shame those devils,” he said.
The EFF has so far hosted a number of celebratory activities to mark 10 years. On Thursday, Malema led hundreds of supporters on a commemorative walk from Uncle Tom’s Hall to the Hector Pieterson Memorial Square to reflect on the journey the EFF embarked on 10 years ago.
Malema also lambasted acting Public Protector advocate Kholeka Gcaleka following the recent report that cleared President Cyril Ramaphosa of violating the executive ethics code by engaging in paid work through the Phala Phala farm scandal.
“The claim by Gcaleka that there is no conflict in a president engaging in the exchange of millions of foreign currencies without any declaration to the South African Reserve Bank or considerations of the Executive Members Ethics Act is a sign that a lowly puppet is occupying the office of the Public Protector,” Malema said.
The Star