Malema says ANC plans to use load shedding as cover to rig elections

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has accused the ANC-led government of lying to the nation about the real reasons behind the latest bout of load shedding.

Malema, without providing any evidence, on Friday told thousands of EFF supporters gathered in Ekurhuleni that the ANC was planning to steal his party’s votes.

He claimed that load shedding would be implemented at the last minute on Monday evening for the ANC to manipulate votes in their favour.

“On Monday, there must be party agents everywhere. There is no load shedding at all. These thugs are trying to steal our votes,” Malema said, speaking in Sepedi at the EFF’s Tshela Thupa Rally in Katlehong.

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“You will see, the whole day on Monday there will be electricity throughout the day. But when vote counting starts after voting stations close, they will suddenly implement load shedding to steal our votes.”

The firebrand called on the EFF’s party agents that will be monitoring the voting and counting process to be visible at all times and guard the ANC.

“If the power goes off when you are inside a voting station, you must quickly rush for the ballot boxes and hold on tight to them. This is because this thing of load shedding, they want to swap our ballot boxes for theirs and take our votes.”

Malema said the same thing happened in Uganda during elections. He accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of trying to adopt the tactics of “his friend” President Yoweri Museveni.

“Museveni is the president of Uganda who stole votes. Ramaphosa and he are the same. He advised Ramaphosa to steal votes by switching off the lights,” he said.

“Be careful, the load shedding is meant for stealing votes. They are preparing us so that when they take electricity during counting, we don’t suspect that there was a robbery taking place.”

‘We’re not entitled to your votes’

Malema issued a clarion call to his party’s supporters to deliver a resounding victory for his party at the polls.

He said he was more than convinced that the EFF’s message to voters was well received by many South Africans.

“We are not entitled to your votes [and] we are not going to force you to vote for the EFF. We have never forced our voters to vote for us, but what made us so humble was the fact that you welcomed us into your homes and you allowed us to speak to you and sell the EFF’s manifesto,” Malema said.

“But what made us even more humbled was you, voters of the EFF, asking us difficult questions, and even reminding us that when we are elected we must not abandon you, the poor of the poorest.”

The EFF leader said after crisscrossing parts of the country over the last few weeks on the campaign trail, he was confronted by a lot of service delivery failures related to water and sanitation, and electricity in municipalities that are run by the ANC and the DA.

Because of this, Malema believes that the EFF will shock many by getting a decisive victory in most municipalities.

He reiterated the EFF’s election promise to abolish the tender system, saying that tenders were at the root of corruption and failed governance in most municipalities.

Malema also promised that the EFF would employ people permanently through the government’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

“In all municipalities, we will cancel tenders because they are the ones that have corrupted our municipalities. We no longer want a tender for security, to clean, for patching up potholes and maintenance. We will hire all of you permanently,” he said.

Malema thanked his party’s volunteers and supporters for waging a disciplined campaign for the local elections, saying they made their campaign exciting and successful.

“I’m very humbled by your hard work. You have done everything humanly possible to persuade our people to vote for the revolution.”

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