EFF takes spears out in standoff with Operation Dudula

Law enforcement officers had their hands full trying to control the standoff between members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Operation Dudula as tensions soared outside the Dobsonville police station on Wednesday.

EFF national spokesperson Sinawo Tambo said Operation Dudula leader Nhlanhla “Lux” Dlamini “primarily” wanted to provoke the EFF when he raided the home of 59-year-old Victor Ramerafe under the pretence that he was looking for drugs.

Members of the EFF carried spears, sticks and golf clubs, chanting Dlamini will “pay” for what he did.

According to Tambo, it was not true that Ramerafe sold drugs. He added the people who accused him were not from Dobsonville and that Dlamini had a “mobile renting” crowd, which pretended to be the “community” wherever he went.

“He is a coward. He is not confronting gangsters in the harbours of this country, where drugs are imported from, he is going to innocent men and women because he is a coward,” he said.

“We want him to be arrested and if the police do not make an intervention on what Operation Dudula is doing in Johannesburg – which has already started spreading to other areas – then we will encourage our people to defend themselves.”

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“When this toy soldier comes in people’s houses without a legitimate arrest or any mandate from the law, our people must stand up and defend themselves.

“We will not fight with nonentities that want to distract the EFF from its programme of action,” he said.

Dlamini responded in a tweet, saying the EFF was supporting and protecting a drug dealer because he happened to be a branch secretary of the party. “It’s sad to see Julius Malema quickly becoming the madala [old man] he once passionately fought against,” he said.

So EFF is really supporting & protecting a drug dealer simply because he also happens to be an EFF branch secretary!

It's sad to see Julius Malema quickly becoming the "madala" he once passionately faught against.

SA🇿🇦 pls b nice to EFF they are going through a lot🙏🏾#pray4eff pic.twitter.com/19KxN5VgWY

— nhlanhlalux (@nhlanhla_lux_) March 23, 2022

Operation Dudula’s supporters were kept 20m away from the EFF by police officers, who were deployed with two police Nyala armoured vehicles.

Dudula Tshwane branch regional secretary Patrick Mokgalosi said its supporters were in solidarity with their “leader” Dlamini, who was being singled out by the EFF. Mokgalosi said the charges should be directed to everyone involved, including the police.

“On the day in question – last week Sunday – we were with the police in Dobsonville, leading our march, so why should one individual be singled out. I should also be arrested because I was there,” he said. “If he is arrested then we should all head to the holding cells because we were all there, the whole community.”

Despite Ramerafe being his friend, community member Thuso Makhanya said he had called Operation Dudula to Dobsonville in Soweto.

Makhanya said in one of the meetings, residents had complained there were a lot of “in and out” movements at Ramerafe’s house and that they suspected he was involved in drug dealing.

“Nhlanhla and I went to his place on Sunday and there were people already in his house when we got there. Nhlanhla did nothing wrong, all he did was engage with him and ask him about the allegations,” he said.

“Members signed off a petition complaining about the house, saying they are not safe. All Dudula did was go check the house. I even spoke to him and asked him why he is causing all this commotion because Dudula acted based on a tip-off.”

Makhanya alleged that Ramerafe had a previous case involving drugs, when he was arrested with some of his friends. Evidence to this claim has yet to be provided.

– lungas@citizen.co.za

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