BLF accuses Malema and EFF of actually giving R6m to ‘white monopoly capital’

In a statement on Sunday, Black First Land First (BLF) said it found itself “forced” to comment on the EFF’s R6 million donation to the Solidarity Fund.

The EFF had on Friday released a statement in which they revealed they had already contributed R6 million to the fund, and they challenged other political parties and businesses to prove what they had given, especially those who had earlier made pledges.

EFF Has Contributed R6M to COVID-19 Solidarity Fund and Challenges Others to Produce Proof of Payment. #Covid19SA pic.twitter.com/lh0yr0W97C

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) May 8, 2020

The BLF, however, was not impressed, and claimed the party was displaying a “lack of a pro-black ideology, black consciousness (BC)”, even though the EFF had said in their statement they “hoped” the Solidarity Fund would do business with “black-owned or BEE-compliant businesses”.

The BLF’s deputy president, Zanele Lwana, retorted: “The lack of BC has reduced these parties to being servants of white monopoly capitalists like Johann Rupert.”

She alleged that the Solidarity Fund was “a mechanism that prioritises white businesses”.

“The R6 million is in fact a gift from Julius Malema to white businesses.”

She said the Black Business Council had complained about how the Solidarity Fund allegedly sidelined black businesses.

“Malema ignored these legitimate cries. To this end he chose to donate the R6 million with no conditions in favour of black businesses to the same Solidarity Fund.

“Black businesses, like spaza shops, have been destroyed by the lack of government support during the lockdown. In fact white monopoly capital is now taking over the township economy after the destruction of black businesses during the Covid-19 crisis.”

She referred to a Sunday World article that reported on how “[t]he list of companies that have been awarded multibillion-rand contracts to supply critical medical equipment for the country’s fight against Covid-19 is dominated by white-owned companies”.

“The pro-white Business for South Africa (B4SA), which controls the Solidarity Fund, has been selecting predominantly white entities to be awarded contracts to supply personal protective equipment (PPE), in a process that looks like nepotism,” said Lwana.

“BLF supports the objection of the South African United Business Confederation (SAUBC) to Tito Mboweni’s decision to allow the pro-WMC B4SA to select businesses to supply PPE via a process which is out of kilter with government procurement policies. This is corruption.”

She said they realised they could not “dictate what Malema must do with the money of his organisation”.

“However, we are duty bound by our revolutionary conscience to expose the fact that the donation is being given to white businesses. Our BC dictates that we raise this matter on behalf of the marginalised black businesses. We invite Malema to abandon white thinking and adopt BC.”

Meanwhile, the EFF said in another statement on Sunday that they condemned the ANC’s apparent support for a government decision to seek funding from the IMF and the World Bank in the wake of Covid-19 battering the South African economy.

EFF Statement on the ANC’s Decision to Support Loans from the IMF and World Bank. pic.twitter.com/mWkjmfTfCP

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) May 10, 2020

(Edited by Charles Cilliers)

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