Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema commented on the massive growth of the right-wing Freedom Front Plus (FF+) in the 2019 elections at a press conference on Thursday.
Malema says he believes their increase in support is a sign of white people showing their true colours.
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“I am happy white people are taking a position. Their voting for FF+ is making it clear that they are racist,” he said.
Malema believes the growth of the FF shows how white people “immediately regroup to protect white privilege” when it is “threatened”.
“You have evidence now that white privilege is shaken,” he added.
Malema then turned his attention to the inclusion of apartheid-era prime minister Hendrik Verwoerd’s grandson on the party’s list of members who would be going to parliament.
The Citizen reported on Tuesday that Dr Wynand Boshoff, whose mother was Verwoerd’s daughter and father is Orania founder Professor Carel Boshoff would be joining the FF+ in the National Assembly.
“They take Verwoerd’s grandson because they do not apologise for apartheid,” Malema said.
He then said that in his view it was black people rather than white people who were “apologetic”.
READ MORE: Explaining the massive growth of the FF+ in the 2019 elections
According to Malema, the EFF aims to change this by “liberating the mind of the black child”.
“We are slowly achieving that,” he added.
The Freedom Front Plus on Wednesday confirmed that the party would only be sending white people to parliament, saying their MPs had been elected on “merit”.
“The 10 going to Parliament are only white,” said party election campaign manager Wouter Wessels on Cape Talk.
“We don’t have a quota because we believe in merit,” he added.
The party made huge gains in the May 8 elections, emerging as the fifth-biggest party in parliament, with 2.38% of the national vote – up from 0.9% in 2014.
It gained six more seats.
Analysts have pointed out that the FF+’s growth corresponds with the DA’s decline in support, with more conservative white voters having gravitated to the party after growing disillusioned with the official opposition.
Prominent DA voices such as former leaders Tony Leon and Helen Zille have both admitted that they believe this to be the case.
