Cape Town - Julius Malema is a hypocrite with populist ideas that are unworkable.
That is what the DA’s parliamentary leader, Mmusi Maimane, thinks of the commander of the Economic Freedom Fighters.
Addressing the Cape Town Press Club on Wednesday, Maimane said Malema had the ability to ask good questions but responded with “bad answers”.
On the issue of unemployment, Maimane said the DA’s plan was to make Parliament a “jobs-friendly Parliament”, and that he was committed to creating laws that enabled the economy to create more jobs.
Responding to a question about Malema’s role as a new MP and his relationship with him, Maimane said the firebrand leader “has an interesting constituency that he wants to be a voice for”.
“I’m fascinated, without fail, that even within that constituency there is significant hypocrisy. Malema wants to be the voice of the poor and preach, but he lives a lavish life.
“It’s a bit like wearing overalls but having Louis Vuitton on underneath,” Maimane said.
The EFF faced an ”interesting dynamic” in the time to come, he said.
“Malema has already fired a few people from his own party who don’t agree with him.
“Governments succeed only when there are good institutions. Individuals must be subject to those institutions. Now the EFF must decide how they’re going to build that institutional capacity.
“It’s one of the things that I think the DA has been very good at. There’s no individual in the DA who is bigger than the party.”
On his relationship with Malema, Maimane said he treated him like any other political party leader.
“We are in strong competition for votes. But frankly, I think his ideas are unworkable, I think his ideas are populist, I think his questions are good in that we must ask questions about land, but I think his answers are bad.
“It remains to be seen what the EFF is going to do, and whether or not there will be constant reporting on the wearing of red overalls and domestic worker uniforms to Parliament,” Maimane said.
On the subject of Parliament, he said a lot more hard work needed to be done.
Political Bureau