EFF bid to have Zille jailed a ‘silly gimmick’

The EFF's Floyd Shivambu and Julius Malema. Louis Vuitton revolutionaries like Malema prey on racial class divides, says the writer. Picture: Dumisani Sibeko

The EFF's Floyd Shivambu and Julius Malema. Louis Vuitton revolutionaries like Malema prey on racial class divides, says the writer. Picture: Dumisani Sibeko

Published Apr 26, 2014

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Johannesburg -

The DA dismissed as laughable a move by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to have leader Helen Zille “sentenced to life imprisonment” for her “gross violation of the human rights of black women”.

“We do not take their charges seriously. We are working hard to make life better for everyone in the places where we govern,” said DA Western Cape leader Ivan Meyer.

Earlier, the EFF’s candidate for Western Cape premier, Nazier Paulsen, said he would file papers in the Equality Court to have Zille and President Jacob Zuma jailed, as they were “criminally responsible” for the poor conditions the black population lived in.

But Meyer brushed off the EFF’s action, calling it the “the silliest election gimmick of the election campaign thus far”.

The Presidency said it had “noted” the EFF move.

Meanwhile, EFF’s political commissar, Floyd Shivambu, accused the ANC of serving the interests of individuals.

Speaking at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, he said: “The ANC is an association of self-seeking individuals. It does not exist as an organisation.”

He said the ANC could not claim to be heading a “national democratic revolution”.

“There is nothing revolutionary about the ANC. Conditions of the working class have not been improved since 1994.”

The ANC had failed to recognise what the former ANC Youth League leaders had been seeking to achieve, namely economic freedom.

Shivambu said the ruling party’s acceptance of free trade and the elimination of trade tariffs had cost the country.

“How are we going to create jobs, when we have such low tariffs?”

Shivambu said the fact that South Africa had be come a net food importer meant there were no jobs.

It was time for civil society and parties to come together to transform the country.

Saturday Star

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