Malema and the leadership of the EFF addressed the media at
Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday, ahead of the red berets' election
manifesto launch next month.
Malema, who was expelled from the ANC in 2012 during Zuma’s
presidency, was asked about the former president’s announcement last month that
he would vote and campaign for the newly launched uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party
during this year’s general elections.
The EFF leader said while Zuma was entitled to vote for any
party of his choice, he [Zuma] was wasting his time by campaigning for a
relatively unknown party.
According to Malema, Zuma should have focused his energies
on voting for the EFF to reduce the ANC’s parliamentary majority to below 50%.
He said: Zuma has got the right to vote for any party he
wishes to vote for, and we can't interfere with his right.
“If he had said he is going to vote for the EFF, it would
have been a very serious boost for us. We would be very happy. But now, he
decides to go and vote for non-existing things. That is not going to help us in
the process of displacing the ANC.”
Though he remains a member of the ANC, Zuma said his
decision to vote for the MK Party was meant to “save the ANC”, which he said
had lost its way under the leadership of his successor, President Cyril
Ramaphosa.
Like other ANC veterans, Malema claimed that Zuma was in
denial that the governing party could not be renewed to its former glory.
“Zuma is in denial and veterans of the ANC are like that;
they're in denial that the ANC is dead. There's no rescuing the ANC. Zuma will
just kill himself with a heart attack because those people [ANC leaders] are
not in a position to be rescued by anyone, including president Mandela,” he
said.
Malema added: If president Mandela was to awaken from his
grave, he will not rescue these people. He can do whatever he wants, including
Madiba magic, but they're at a point where the ANC is not going to be rescued
by anyone.
Malema said that the EFF had no links to the MK Party,
adding that he didn't expect any EFF member to vote or campaign for the newly
registered party.
He additionally issued a warning to EFF members not to
support the MK Party, saying this would amount to “expelling yourself from the
EFF”.
Malema said: We don't expect anyone of the EFF to take part
in the activities of the MK Party. Our constitution is very clear that no one
will go and campaign or support other political parties. That is defining
yourself outside of the organisation and therefore you would have expelled
yourself. No one will expel you.
“We have one party here. You are a member, a supporter, a
ground force, and a voter of the EFF. You can't be half, half. Let's make that
very clear,” he added.
Malema wished Zuma well on his political move, saying
forming a new party was not an easy task.
He said: Having formed a political party alongside Floyd
Shivambu, it's not an easy thing. If you were to ask me to do it again, I won't
do it. Actually, I'm much better looking after cattle than to form another
political party.
Meanwhile, Malema has predicted that the EFF will do well
in KwaZulu-Natal during the national and provincial elections that are likely
to take place earlier this year.
The EFF leader based this on opinion polls he claims prove
that the ANC is likely to lose its electoral majority in KwaZulu-Natal.
Malema said: We are looking very good in KZN in terms of
the potential to take over this province. All the research shows that the ANC
will not get anything beyond 25% in KZN, and therefore to talk about the ANC as
a party that will be governing KZN will be being in denial.
“We must start accepting that the ANC is gone in KZN,” he
added. City Press
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