EFF leader Julius Malema commended those who rejected President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Workers’ Day rally in Rustenberg earlier this month.
EFF LEADER Julius Malema commended those who rejected President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Workers’ Day rally in Rustenberg earlier this month.
Malema led a media briefing on Monday at the party’s headquarters, Winnie Madikizela Mandela House, in Marshalltown, Johannesburg.
The briefing detailed the party’s 15th central command team meeting.
At the briefing, Malema said the activities on Workers’ Day earlier this month had demonstrated that workers in South Africa did not have any form of organised protection.
“Workers’ rejection of Ramaphosa and the ANC must be commended and repeated everywhere because the ANC has sold out the workers. The unions that have affiliated to the ruling party are led by careerists and aspirant business people who are controlled by factions in the ruling and different factions of the capitalist class,” he said.
He said that as a movement whose primary interests lay in the liberation of the working class and poor people, “the EFF will not stand by and watch when workers are left defenceless because current union leaders are in bed with the ruling party and capitalists”.
Malema said many sectors of labour including the public service remained defenceless because there were no unions or the current “so-called unions” were controlled by the ruling class.
“We as the EFF will do everything possible to ensure that workers are better organised and defended by unions that are not in the pockets of capitalists and government,” he said.
In the opening remarks of his briefing, Malema paid tribute again to Hillary Gardee, the daughter of former EFF secretary general Godrich Gardee.
He said Hillary was murdered by criminals who must be held accountable and must be jailed forever.
“We as the EFF are actively involved in seeking justice for Hillary Gardee and caution the police service and political leaders to not play dirty, dangerous and opportunistic political games on a sensitive case of murder.”
He said the SAPS must do everything in its power to advance the investigations to establish all the details into the disappearance and murder of Gardee’s daughter.
The party also called on men to stop the killing and harassing of women.
“The levels and extent of gender-based violence and violence in general in South Africa is unacceptable,” Malema said.
