Zuma: EFF is nothing but an ‘angry minority’

Following brutal exchanges and flying fists between parliamentary officials and members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) during the state of the nation address (Sona) on Thursday evening, President Jacob Zuma says the chaotic start to proceedings isn’t a reflection of the entire country’s character.

Speaking in Cape Town at the New Age Breakfast briefing on Friday morning, Zuma said he was not bothered by the violence in the National Assembly and described the EFF under the leadership of its commander in chief, Julius Malema‚ as an “angry minority in the country”.

“I think it is a reflection of a few kind of people, like some parties in Parliament a while ago. Those people only represent 6% of the nation. It’s not like an overwhelming feeling.

“They must be trying their level best to fight back but they don’t know how. If you were elected by the people of this country to represent them in Parliament, I doubt the voters would say there should be no debate under a democratic society and we should frustrate debate,” he said.

ALSO READ: Radical transformation of the economy is a farce, says AfriBusiness 

The president said the EFF was disgruntled because their leaders were expelled from the ruling African National Congress in 2012 for bringing the party into disrepute – and Thursday night’s events in the national legislature was the party trying to frustrate debate in the House, yet they called themselves democrats.

“If, for an example, you are dealing with an organisation that was established by young people who were expelled from the ANC‚ they must be angry with the ANC. They must be trying their level best to fight back, but they don’t know how.”

Despite the EFF referring to him numerous times before they were violently ejected from parliament as a “constitutional delinquent” and “criminal”, Zuma said the EFF’s perceptions of him were not a true reflection of how South Africans saw him.

“My view is that at times we take very useless things and make them major discussions instead of discussing the real things. The fact that we make Parliament not to talk and undermine the choice of the majority of this country because you have your own feelings – I think it’s a misplaced kind of vision; in fact, there is no vision at all.”