EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi. Picture: Screenshot
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) national spokesperson Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi was a guest on Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh’s YouTube channel, The Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh Xperience (SMWX), telling him in an interview that he will never be able to “see past” President Cyril Ramaphosa’s role in the Marikana tragedy.
“There are two things that are important about Ramaphosa’s contribution to the Marikana tragedy,” he said.
“One is evidence that he doesn’t care for workers. Particularly African workers. That reveals him as a self-hating man who probably dreams at least once a day of escaping the colour of his skin.
“The second thing that it reveals him for is that he loves money [more than] he loves people.
“Marikana workers were not blocking the road, they were not fighting against the government, they were not even burning tyres. They were on a mountain demanding R12,500 as a minimum wage and he is the first one to make an argument intellectually that they are not workers, they are criminals,” Ndlozi said.
He added that he feels this gave the police justification “to treat workers on strike as people who are engaged in a criminal activity and then giving them license to kill.”
“God will forgive me, I will never be able to see past that because I think Ramaphosa is unrepentant. The reality of the matter is that given an opportunity … he would do it again,” Ndlozi alleged.
READ MORE: Marikana activists arrive in Pretoria with demands for Ramaphosa
In his reply to the debate that followed his maiden state of the nation address (Sona), Ramaphosa directly addressed accusations that he is partly responsible for the shooting of striking miners at Marikana five years ago, saying he would make good in any way he could.
“I am determined to play whatever role I can, and in this I am guided by the wishes of the community,” he said.
It was the first time Ramaphosa had raised the issue in parliament, though he has apologised in public before for his role, which was strongly criticised by the Farlam commission of inquiry into the massacre. He did so five days after he was sworn in as president after the ruling ANC forced Jacob Zuma out of office.
Ndlozi, however, feels Ramaphosa’s role in the tragedy shows his true nature as a politician.
“The people of South Africa ought to know what animal we are dealing with here,” he said.
“We are dealing with a person if you put white people this side and black people this side he’ll always choose white people, if you put money on this side and black people on the other side he’ll go for money,” Ndlozi alleged.
“And if needs be, in order to gain access to that money he’s willing to kill,” Ndlozi further alleged, concluding his answer to the question.
(Background reporting, ANA)
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