Opposition united in call for Zuma exit
Malema warns president’s backers not to resort to violence
EFF leader Julius Malema has warned that protests aimed at removing President Jacob Zuma would continue in communities and his party members would retaliate if attacked.
“Let us continue to fight until [Zuma] leaves office. You must have demonstrations in your communities,” Malema said.
He was addressing tens of thousands of people who responded to the call by opposition parties to march to the Union Buildings.
The marchers were yesterday united in that Zuma must resign as president of the country. It was the second march against Zuma in less than a week.
Responding to threats of violence against anti-Zuma protesters, Malema said EFF members were not afraid of anyone.
“You must never test our patience. No one has a monopoly of violence,” said Malema. “We are not scared of them. We’re not scared of their police, we're not scared of their intelligence ...”
ANC Youth League members attacked DA members at an anti-Zuma march in Durban last week.
Another DA member was beaten up outside Luthuli House, the ANC headquarters in Johannesburg.
Malema was not the only leader at the march to threaten retaliation if attacked. Sipho Pityana, leader of the Save SA campaign, targeted Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina, who threatened white people and civil protesters with violence.
On Monday, Masina warned whites and Save SA campaigners things might get “very, very rough”.
“It is very important that we send a very, very strong warning that ... we will crush any individual who stands [in the way of] the project of nation building and social cohesion in South Africa.”
‘ ‘ We’ll fight to the last drop of blood to defend SA
Pityana hit back: “Masina [you] must know that you are not the only one who can fight.
“We can fight as well. This is a movement to remove Zuma peacefully ... but they must not threaten us and think that we’re scared. We’re not ...
“To anyone who doesn’t want to listen, we’ll fight until the last drop of b lood to defend our motherland,” said Pityana.
Malema said lives of ANC members of parliament were already at risk ahead of the scheduled vote of no-confidence vote against Zuma .
Malema told the crowd Lindiwe Sisulu, Human Settlements Minister, was threatened with death because she was believed to be anti-Zuma. He said an assassin was paid to kill her, but that person instead told her.
The application before the Constitutional Court to compel speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete to allow a secret ballot is meant to protect lives of ANC MPs, Malema said.
“The Constitutional Court has a responsibility to protect life. That’s what we’re asking from the Constitutional Court and parliament. People are threatened.”