Double standards from EFF cadres

Julius Malema charged in when the honour of black women was impugned in the hair saga. Yet, in the days of the demonstrations against Clicks, some of his loyal lieutenants have demonstrated some utterly crass, misogynistic behaviour towards women, some of them black.

Floyd Shivambu attacked Professor Thuli Madonsela on racist, sexist grounds for her criticism of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) as “Gucci clad middle class masquerading as protectors of the working class”.

Then its former spokesperson, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, defended EFF members who shoved away a black female reporter from eNCA by saying it did not constitute assault or harassment.

He tweeted: “I really do not see harassment here. Merely touching her is not harassment. The touch has to be violent, invasive, or harmful to become harassment!”

In other words, touching a woman without her permission is fine… Amid the backlash which followed – although many EFF supporters, including women, defended their leaders – some reminded the EFF that Malema had once said, of the woman who accused former president Jacob Zuma of rape, that she had “enjoyed it”.

The attitudes and comments of the EFF show it as male chauvinistic as most men in SA. It’s no wonder we battle the scourge of gender-based violence.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.