We never asked Thabo Mbeki to visit EFF’s exhibition stand – Malema

Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema has denied that his party asked former president Thabo Mbeki to join the party’s exhibition stand at the Rand Easter Show on Tuesday. Malema was responding to claims made by Siyabulela Mbandezi on Facebook saying that he received a message requesting Mbeki to visit the EFF’s exhibition stand.

“A request we could not fulfil,” he claimed.

The former president was there to openly campaign for the ANC for the first time since his controversial removal as president in 2008.

However, the EFF leader denied that his party asked for Mbeki to visit their exhibition stand, adding that it may have been a conversation between friends.

What? Maybe it was friends talking, no such requests from @EFFSouthAfrica.

— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) April 26, 2019

Mbandezi made the claims in response to EFF national chairperson Dali Mpofu’s statement in which he criticised Mbeki and David Makhura for asking people to vote for the Cyril Ramaphosa-led ANC.

Mpofu said: “So the Aids and Arms Deal guy while sitting on a couch with the Life Esidimeni guy is really asking us to vote for the Marikana and spy guy because he is not the guy of Guptas? If you buy that one you’ll buy anything. Desperate times… Desperate measures. Fire the whole lot!”

So the AIDS & Arms Deal guy while sittting on a couch with the Life Esidimeni guy is REALLY asking us to vote for the Marikana & spy guy because he is NOT the guy of Guptas??

If u buy that one u'll buy ANYTHING!

Desperate times..Desperate measures

Fire the whole lot!#VoteEFF

— Dali Mpofu (@AdvDali_Mpofu) April 24, 2019

Also read: Ramaphosa on Marikana: I never had the intention to have 34 miners killed

In defence of the ANC leaders, Mbandezi said he was not surprised by Mpofu’s statement.

Mpofu was also criticised by social media users, who reminded him of the EFF’s campaign at Mbeki’s house in Johannesburg before the 2016 local government elections. They asked him if Mbeki was not the “Aids guy” then.

Twitter user @Amirduncan wrote: “I think Mr Mpofu should not be uttering such statements. I personally expect more matured posts from you. You are actually undoing the good work that some of your cadres are doing out there,” while  @GigaSizwe wrote: “The one you were praising when he was sitting down. The moment he gets up , you become mad.”

https://twitter.com/thabomoetji/status/1120990995636805632

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