‘EFF leads, they follow’: Malema proud of flouting Covid-19 regulations

Shortly after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of alert level one lockdown, Julius Malema proudly shared a photo of supporters gathered at Gandhi Square, where Covid-19 rules were completely flouted.

Julius Malema’s Covid response

‘Lockdown nonsense’

Malema had previously stated the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) was not going to comply with “lockdown nonsense”.

On Thursday night, following Ramaphosa’s speech, Malema boasted that he had set the tone and opened the country.

“We always say to you that the EFF leads and they follow. The reality is we opened this country on Sunday 26 September 2021 at Winnie Madikizela-Mandela House,” reads the tweet.

Manifesto launch

On Sunday at the party’s launch of its manifesto for the upcoming elections, Covid-19 regulations were completely disregarded by thousands of EFF supporters, who seemingly had no care for non-pharmaceutical measures.

In June, Malema said that his party would not listen to what Ramaphosa had to say, nor adhere to the lockdown restrictions that were imposed.

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Covid-19 restrictions

“No one is going to stop us. No lockdown nonsense regulations are going to stop us,” Malema told the crowd outside Uitsig High School in Centurion during the June 16 commemoration.

Among some noticeable changes under level 1 is the limited 50% maximum capacity allowed in gatherings with 750 people indoors and a maximum of 2000 outdoors.

Ramaphosa highlighted the importance of observing health protocols at gatherings. including the maintenance of at least 1.5 metres of social distancing.