EFF leader Julius Malema. (Leon Sadiki/Getty Images)
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema condemned the violent scenes that played out between party supporters and the ANC which led to the shooting of a nine-year-old girl in Juju Valley informal settlement in Seshego, Limpopo, on Sunday.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of his visit to Seshego, Malema claimed this was an isolated incident.
He rubbished any speculation of tensions between the EFF and other political formations in Seshego.
This is despite the chaotic scenes that played out on social media of community members dressed in EFF and ANC T-shirts throwing objects at each other.
He said that the chaos erupted when the ANC disrupted an EFF soccer tournament. He however took issue with EFF supporters for having been provoked by the ANC supporters saying that the EFF must never get easily provoked.
“They must have the highest form of political tolerance and that we have addressed with our structures, with the community, that we must at all cost act with restraint even in the eyes of provocation. We must restrain ourselves,” he said.
In a statement this week, police said that they were investigating a case of attempted murder.
He alleged that one of the shooters was connected to the ANC mayor in Polokwane John Mpe.
“The bodyguards of the mayor were also not allowed to shoot. The role of a bodyguard is not to shoot at people, it’s to protect a mayor. When you protect a mayor, if there is a gunshot, you have to retreat with the mayor, you don’t charge, going forward,’ he said, labelling this as gangsterism.
The EFF will be hosting its Tshela Thupa rally this weekend in a final bid for votes ahead of the 29 May elections.
The party leader alluded to an attempt by the ANC to sabotage its programme saying that the meeting between former ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe and traditional leaders at the Peter Mokaba stadium despite it having been handed over to the EFF.
“While we were busy constructing the stage, we were busy doing preparations for the EFF in that stadium, Kgalema went to have a meeting there. That is another provocation because the handover of the stadium to us means securing the stadium and making sure that no one comes to plant wrong things in that stadium.
“Just in the same week the ANC goes there and the municipality acts like they did not know they [ANC] was going there. They were playing politics. So we accepted, we did not cause any problems,” he said.
He said that despite this “provocation” by the ANC, its leader has maintained that its supporters must act with restraint.
Malema handed over a home to an elderly couple, Rakgola Jacob and Raesetja Ramakgolo unlocked their front door for the first time.
The couple was emotional and cried when they thanked the EFF leader. Ramakgola said that her previous house had fallen apart before breaking down in tears.
Addressing the community, Malema said that the EFF was handing over a house which was disability friendly to the elderly couple adding that they had full ownership of the property.
He then visited Moruleng Secondary School near the Ramakgolo home to hand over a borehole. He promised to help learners fund tertiary education for those who excelled in maths and science telling the community that this was not an election ploy but rather his commitment to the community.
Malema also handed over a soup kitchen for the community. He encouraged people to donate food and clothing to help the poor.
Malema has been cross-crossing the country over the past weeks to demonstrate the party’s capability to govern the country ahead of the much-anticipated elections.
The EFF is hoping that it will become the second biggest party in the country ahead of the Democratic Alliance. To do this, the EFF would need to increase its numbers significantly in the country and across all nine provinces.
Malema is hoping to increase the party’s vote share in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng to have this ambition realised.
The EFF is currently the second-largest party in Limpopo. Its position in the province has been threatened by internal battles which resulted in the party removing its previous provincial leadership after the 2021 elections.
The most recent survey by global market research company Ipsos suggested that the EFF could receive 11.5% of the national vote.