WATCH: EFF reacts to load shedding with comedy as Gordhan stars in Joshua Doore parody video

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) shared a video on Thursday showcasing what appears to be their little known musical comedy skills. The video, which lampoons the minister of public enterprises to the tune of a 1980s Joshua Doore advert – has since been retweeted thousands of times.

“Joshua Doore” is a nickname – presumably intended to be insulting – the EFF gave Gordhan some time ago due to his resemblance to the balding, avuncular cartoon character which was the mascot and logo of a furniture chain which no longer exists but is remembered by many South Africans.

The song featured in the video changes the lyrics of the chain’s iconic 1980s advert to mock Gordhan, with the tune’s composer also managing to take a swipe at the president – adding “and Cyril” after declaring Pravin your “uncle in the load shedding business”.

READ MORE: Shivambu nicknames Gordhan Joshua Doore, your uncle in the ‘mob’ business

“Together as one, they turn off the lights,” are the song’s only other lyrics.

EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi posted the video and the party’s leader Julius Malema retweeted it.

While it’s not clear where the video originated from, it was posted on the EFF Gauteng Whatsapp group and was first shared by Ndlozi, leading some on social media to assume the EFF made it themselves. Ndlozi did not respond to questions from The Citizen about where it came from.

Nazo… #Loadshedding pic.twitter.com/ekFo1GaaI9

— Mbuyiseni Ndlozi (@MbuyiseniNdlozi) October 17, 2019

The EFF do, however, still have a serious side, as shown in their other, more traditional reaction to load shedding – a statement.

Gordhan does not get off any more lightly here than in the video, with the party blaming Eskom’s implementation of rolling blackouts this week on the “incompetence of Minister of Public Enterprises Mr Jamnadas Gordhan”.

Jamnadas is Gordhan’s middle name as well as another supposedly insulting nickname the party often uses in reference to Gordhan.

The statement, which also lashes out at Eskom chairperson and acting CEO Jabu Mabuza, claims that Gordhan’s plan has been to privatise the struggling energy utility, and that its governance problems are “self-inflicted”.

The full statement can be read below:

EFF Statement On Collapse of ESKOM and Load-shedding. pic.twitter.com/8ArO2Lngab

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) October 17, 2019

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman.)

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