ANC and EFF two sides of same coin

Commander-in-chief Julius Malema and his red beret brigade’s latest disruption of parliament processes was unwarranted. Yes, President Jacob Zuma has to be held accountable for millions of taxpayers’ money that were wasted on the so-called security upgrades to his Nkandla homestead. But then again, there is no justification for preventing the debate of other important issues. The EFF’s conduct deserves criticism. It is hypocritical of the ANC, however, to be leading the chorus of condemnation against Malema’s party.

The governing party, following the disruptions, berated the EFF for what it called an “attack on our democracy and constitution”. This is the same party whose leader, just a day before EFF MPs disrupted parliament by raucously demanding that he pay back state funds spent on his home, blatantly defied a court order – the worst form of an attack on our constitution.

Reports have surfaced of how the Zuma administration protected and ensured safe passage out of the country of an alleged mass murderer wanted for war crimes that led to more than 300 000 deaths in Darfur.

The very same ANC that now seeks to portray itself as the defender of our constitution rallied behind Zuma when he undermined the credibility of parliament and Chapter 9 institutions such as the public protector’s office. Last week’s defiance of the court order was not the first time he had basically shown our courts the middle finger. His long refusal to hand over the so-called “spy tapes”, despite court orders, is another example.

It is incontestable that Malema and his fighters are anarchists who have no regard for the law. Their call on citizens to occupy land illegally and their heaping of praise on thugs who assault political enemies are proof of this. However, Zuma and his ANC, who are themselves enemies of the rule of law, are the least qualified to lecture the EFF on upholding the constitution.