Malema looks for leftist allies
EFF wants to forge links with unions
AS THE EFF urged its new leadership to help grow the party, its leader, Julius Malema, vowed to join forces with other left-wing formations to oppose President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Malema was delivering the closing address at the EFF’s national assembly, where the party elected a new leadership.
He called on EFF members and leaders to lead the fight against the government’s purported plan to sell SAA and Eskom.
He said his party would do all in its power to block him and the public enterprises minister from selling the country’s SOEs.
According to Malema, the EFF is in consultation with other leftist organisations, especially unions, to gear up for rolling mass action next year against privatisation.
“If you want to sell our assets to the Ruperts and the Oppenheimers, we will defend our assets with everything including our bodies.
“We will occupy the picket lines in defence of our properties. We want to say to all progressive left forces, let us unite in defence of the property that belongs to our people,” he said.
It is expected the mass protests will kick off with the EFF staging a sit-in at Eskom headquarters next month.
Malema also slammed how the EFF was failing to capitalise on the ANC’s internal problems.
He said the party was losing support to the ANC in some regions because of ineffective campaigning.
“In Ekurhuleni, the ANC took the votes from us in 2019 and we even lost the wards we have won in 2016.
“It means you are sleeping there. If you know what is good for you you will go and regain the votes of the EFF,” he said.
In its treasurer report, the EFF pointed out how it failed to recover more than R1 million misappropriated from statutory accounts in 2015.
“In Mpumalanga, two signatories were responsible for cashing cheques to the value of R833 800 they could not account for.
“A case was opened but the investigation proved challenging as FNB were unco-operative in providing information,” the report said.
The report also said R167 784 in cashed cheques were also misappropriated in the Northern Cape, but that an investigation drew a blank as well.
Among the main resolutions of the party were its international relations policy, which it resolved to push for the establishment of EFF outfits on the continent and for the Pan African Parliament to be given more teeth to decide on the legitimacy of Africa governments.
Malema also warned that the country could soon degenerate into tribal infighting if the antagonism towards African immigrants was not ended in the country.
“You won’t have jobs, because there will not be jobs after Africans have left,” he said.