Malema: Stop voting ANC, or you don’t love yourself

While campaigning ahead of a by-election in the troubled Mamusa municipality, which was put under administration late last year, EFF leader Julius Malema exhorted voters in and around the North West town of Schweizer Reneke to vote the ANC out on Wednesday.

Last year it was reported that 15 out of 22 municipalities in North West were placed under administration due to a number of factors, including the mismanagement of funds, maladministration, councillors neglecting their legislative duties and general rampant tender corruption.

Malema, who is himself often accused of corruption – which he denies – said on Sunday the EFF wanted to stand for truth and to “bring about an end to the corruption in our country”.

“If you disagree with the masses saying politicians are all the same, you’re missing out on an opportunity to self-correct. We are dying for the sins of the ANC, but we must show people through our work that we are different.”

He lambasted the ANC for allegedly stealing land, RDP houses and social grants from the people.

“The whole of Mamusa municipality should have proper working toilets because toilets aren’t a luxury, they are a basic human right.

“We must never accept less. We must have self-respect. It is only you can stop the nonsense of the ANC, you are the solution to the problem. Stop blaming politicians and start taking responsibility; if you stop voting for the ANC you’re taking back your power. We need fearless voters.

“We need clean running water in Mamusa, we need proper roads, particularly for ambulances to gain access to people who are sick. We need clinics that are operational for 24 hours.”

He said black people needed to develop self-love because anyone who kept voting for the same party that gave them “pit toilets and run-down houses that have leaking ceilings” did not love themselves.

“We must learn to love ourselves.”

“As black people, we kill Nigerians, accusing them of selling drugs and we kill Zimbabweans accusing them of stealing our jobs. Yet, the white man committed a genocide against us, took land, raped our mothers, killed our child in Coligny for picking up a sunflower; they kill our people saying that they have mistaken them for baboons. You’re even afraid to collapse the statues of white people. Why? Because you hate yourself.

“Black people in South Africa, in Africa and in the diaspora, we are all the same, we are all facing the same struggle. We must unite.”

He said the community of Mamusa would have a second chance to elect new leadership this week and he made numerous promises of what the EFF would do, including “proper houses, doubled social grants” and being gifted with land “like Gaddafi … who would gift newly wedded couples with land”.

He blamed the South African education system for being “designed in such a way that we remain fearful and not to trust each other as black people”.

“Wednesday we have an opportunity as the people of Mamusa Municipality to unite against the corrupt government of the ANC.”

Malema also once again hit out at Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, claiming that the tide of public opinion was finally turning against the minister, who is an outspoken opponent of the EFF, accusing them of “defending state capture”.

Malema said: “We said Pravin must go and everyone now agrees because he is collapsing SOEs. If we can’t afford to fly now, imagine what will become of us when there is no SAA subsidised by government? As black people we will never be able to fly.

“We are told we are experiencing load shedding because the coal is wet but we have had wet coal in the past and never experienced load shedding. What is different now?”

He hinted that if President Cyril Ramaphosa would not fire Gordhan, the president’s upcoming state of the nation address would possibly be disrupted, and that it would “be about Pravin and him leaving because we must protect our state and our assets”.

What is happening in Mamusa?

After the dissolution of the council last year, the IEC decided that January 15 would be set aside for the election of a new council in Mamusa.

Giving background on the reasons for the dissolution, North West premier Job Mokgoro’s spokesperson said that in some instances, some councillors at Mamusa allegedly dictated who should get tenders and neglected their duties with regards to service delivery.

The DA also slammed the ANC for “deliberately been neglecting the people … facts corroborated by the five consecutive disclaimer annual audit outcomes in which the Auditor-General could not assess the financial situation of the municipality”.

“The current Mamusa Eskom debt exceeds R80 million and is under constant threat by the SOE to implement punitive scheduled blackouts in bulk electricity supply due to non-payment.

“In addition, the municipality is R230 million in debt, with R210 million outstanding for more than 180 days,” said the DA.

The authority to dissolve the entire Mamusa council was granted by the National Council of Provinces following a request from North West Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs MEC Mothibedi Kegakilwe.

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