Malema: ‘We should be able to pick up Bushiri like a chicken from a chicken run’

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has been trending on social media following his party’s virtual press briefing on Thursday.

While he touched on a number of important elements during the briefing, he could not do so without throwing in a number of jabs directed at some well known people.

Nathi Mthethwa and Fikile Mbalula

While arguing for artists to be given a bailout once again following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s extension of Lockdown Level 3 which bans social gatherings, Malema threw jabs at Arts, Culture and Sport Minister Nathi Mthethwa and Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to get his point across.

He said: “Since you’re telling people to stay at home, artists will need a bailout. We need artists to be bailed out. We don’t want these people to be destroyed. We need them, they keep us in our houses. They keep us entertained and put our souls at ease during these difficult times.

ANALYSIS: God help me, I agree with Julius Malema

“You have a minister there, called Nathi Mthethwa. By how he speaks and walks, you can see the man is not relevant for that department of arts and culture. There you needed a mad person like Mbalula. He was going to turn that thing around.”

Former President Jacob Zuma

The EFF leader defended himself against allegations of partying during the pandemic. In December, video footage emerged allegedly showing Malema gathering with a large number of people, many of whom without masks. In response, he said it was a family meeting. It merely looked like a party because he comes from a big family, though no family could be bigger than Zuma’s.

ALSO READ: EFF defends video of Julius Malema dancing, not distancing, and with no mask on

He said: “I was at home with family, that’s what Christmas and Lockdown Level 3 is about – it says be with family. My family is not the size of Van der Merwe and my family is going to be defined by how whites define family. I’ve got a very big family. My grandmother had nine kids, all those nine kids had not less than three kids and all those kids have kids of their own. My family is a community on its own. It can only be defeated by Zuma’s family. There’s no family that can beat that one.”

Where is Bushiri?

On explaining why he thinks borders on the African continent only hinder progress, Malema said that South Africa was struggling to extradite Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church leader Shepherd Bushiri because Africa was not one country.

He said: “Africans are not criminals. We want free movement of Africans. There are very few individuals who are criminals in our continent. They must be arrested, isolated and dealt with decisively. We need one Africa, one judicial system, one economic system, one military, one policing system, one legislature where all of us are held accountable.

ALSO READ: Bushiri’s Major 1 Connect app hits 50,000 downloads

“Where is Bushiri with donations? If we had one continent, we were going to pick up Bushiri like we’re picking up a chicken from a chicken run from wherever he is. But these useless borders that are overrated make it impossible for us to even go after people we know have committed crimes in our country and have gone to hide in other countries.”

Mjolo is suspended

The social media streets have been restless since the EFF leader’s suspension of mjolo [dating]. Malema urged South Africans to stop unnecessary visits, including those who are dating.

He said: “We call upon all South Africans not to allow any visitor – no boyfriend, no girlfriend. Because you don’t know where your boyfriend has been, you don’t know where your girlfriend has been. Only us the married, we’re safe because we know about each other’s whereabouts. The rest, stay at home. No mjolo, mjolo is suspended until after corona because we don’t know where you have been.”

Watch the video below:

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