Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema, has seemingly back-pedalled on his previous comments directed at the Indian community during the July riots. According to Malema, the Indian community belongs to the EFF.
Malema was in KwaZulu-Natal this week as part of his party’s political campaigning ahead of the May 29 provincial and national elections.
Addressing a sea of red T-shirts, Malema said there was a narrative hailing residents as heroes, and those who died, as thugs.
“They were trying to divide us, that we must never be one thing because our unity is a threat to them,” Malema said.
“Yes, there was a massacre, but it was not committed by Indians. It was committed by criminals who must be prosecuted. The law must take its own course,” he said.
“We have never, in the EFF, characterised the Phoenix Indians as criminals, as people who committed a massacre. We knew these were isolated individuals. If we had serious law enforcement, we could have caught them without generalising.”
Malema further zeroed in on the lack of service delivery.
Speaking to a sea of residents, predominantly dressed in EFF T-shirts, he criticised the African National Congress-led municipality on a range of issues including water outages, illegal dumping, lack of access to medical facilities and residents living for years without homes.
President @Julius_S_Malema in Phoenix this evening.
The President convened a Townhall Meeting with the community of Phoenix.
When we made the decision to fight, we knew that we would have to convince our people, one by one, and march forward with the mandate. #VoteEFF… pic.twitter.com/k7N7JCdDbQ
People of Phoenix in KZN showing the President love, handing him a gift after addressing the community meeting he had with them this evening. #EFFCommunityMeetings #MalemaForPresident #VoteEFF pic.twitter.com/bDjTVijMLc
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) May 16, 2024
Malema said his plan is to ensure that residents have access to water as well as medical facilities that remain open 24/7, fully staffed and stocked, with the latest, sophisticated medical equipment.
He said children should be enrolled in schools at an early age and have access to breakfast and lunch.
“In the morning, they slept with an empty stomach. They are coming to school with an empty stomach. So you have to give them food so that they will concentrate,” Malema said.
He said if government can buy prisoners food and clothing, they can give the same to children.
Malema further slammed the ANC and Democratic Alliance for issues in the community and urged Phoenix residents to vote on May 29.
IOL Politics