In quotes: Malema spares no one in his Youth Day address

EFF leader Julius Malema has slammed President Cyril Ramaphosa for the slow vaccine rollout, lockdown regulations that do not make sense and xenophobia, among other issues.

In his Youth Day address, Malema strongly criticised people who commemorate June 16 by wearing a school uniform and drinking alcohol.

On alcohol and drugs

“We must be a generation of responsible black people, not the way black people are defining us. We must define ourselves. We want to drink alcohol – yes, we’ll do that in our own time, not at a commemoration of 16 June, worse in a school uniform. What message are we sending to those who are still going to school?”

“Drugs are not good, alcohol is not good. You can’t say we’re unemployed, therefore we’re drowning ourselves in alcohol. Whoever said to you you will find solutions in alcohol misled you. There is no solution to unemployment and poverty in alcohol and drugs. You are worsening the situation.”

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On the slow vaccine rollout

“Zimbabwe has vaccinated more people than South Africa. The people with money now are quietly flying to Zimbabwe to be vaccinated and come back here. Who would have thought that Zimbabwe was going to be better than South Africa with something? We were told that Zimbabwe is hopeless and finished. Very soon you are all going to line up passing by Seshego on your way to Beitbridge because you are led by fools.”

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On Ramaphosa’s family meeting

“That thing you call a family meeting, don’t include me in that family of Ramaphosa. I’m not part of that nonsense. All he does is change numbers. Last week he said 100 can go in, 250 outside. He called a new press conference – 50 inside, 100 outside. And then he changes the time. Why doesn’t he just send a WhatsApp message and tell us what time we’re sleeping?”

On xenophobia

“South Africans and Zimbabweans are the same, stop claiming otherwise. We have Mpofus and Vhakwevhos in Zimbabwe. Medicine in Shona is Mushonga and in Tshivenda it’s mushonga. But you will find Muvenda toyi-toying for Zimbabweans to leave the country, forgetting they’re relatives.”

ALSO READ: ‘We are not xenophobic’ – Soweto residents protest against ‘illegal’ traders

On SA media

“We are fed a lie by the South African media, they can join Ramaphosa if they want. We don’t care what this media is saying. Why would we care about Justice Malala’s opinion? This media lies a lot. All of them are the same.”

“Piet Rampedi did not tell a lie, he was misled. Others just lie. I would rather be lied to by Piet Rampedi that there are 10 babies, it doesn’t concern me. I am concerned by news that affects me. They’re busy telling him to check the facts, where do they check their facts?”