SASOLBURG. – Refengkgotso residents turned up in their numbers to listen to the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters Commander in Chief Julius Malema recently.
A day later, communities from as far afield as Orangeville followed Malema and his national executive committee to the national rally, discussing the Freedom Charter at the Multi Purpose officials for employing poor disgruntled people through ‘blankets’ (sex). He said he would refer the issue of electricity to the national parliament:
“As the EFF, we will make sure that we push the government to transform the municipalities.” Malema said they will fight in parliament until people’s concerns are recognised. He said in the Free State some residents are struggling to access RDP and that the money is being spent by Ace Magashule and his friends:
“When the EFF takes over the government, we will make sure we start with Magashule going to jail. The community is living in bad conditions but the president’s cattle are living in a nice ‘kraal hotel.’” He said Magashule and President Zuma have swimming pools worth over R4 million: “Stop voting for Mandela as he is no more.
He told the elderly that they must look to better the future of their children. Not to someone spending money on cattle and swimming pools. The EFF is working for the nation from the locals up to parliament. The community of Themka Khubeka said they struggle to benefit from ambulances and police vehicles due to the bad roads. Shacks are burning as they use paraffin stoves and cattle dung.”
Pule Mabe of the ANC national executive committee (NEC), Makale Mohale provincial chairperson of the youth league and Reagan Booysen, Fezile Dabi regional chairperson, addressed the community at the Refengkgotso sports grounds on June 27. Mabe said there’s no fighting within the ANC.
Makale said thousands of youth are unemployed and struggle to access services:
“The ANC is aware of this and we are making sure that the lives of the people are changed for the better,” he said. “The African masses must own the banks. Nationalisation is the concept of the ANC.” He said the ANC takes people from ‘pampers, school feeding schemes, universities through national students financial aid schemes, to Extended Public Works Programmes (EPWPs) up to SASSA.
The ANC is fighting the burning of roads, making ‘here-there’ rulings without protests. It should be members of the ANC that complain if SASSA is not giving enough:
“In the national assembly, we are not going to allow people to cause disruption,” alluding to the EFF. “The ANC is more than 200 in parliament and we are aiming to change the lives of people on the ground. We take the responsibility to lead the people seriously.”
He said the power of regional government is limited as per mandate of the ANC: “Our mandate as the youth league ends in 2017. In the youth league when you turn 40 you join the organisation. Gatherings are not people’s assemblies. People who build RDP houses are members of the community. Zuma is the people’s president who will lead until 2019.”
