Johannesburg - Members of Julius Malema’s party were on Sunday dismissed as “mentally disturbed Mickey Mouses” who had no right to attend a vigil outside Nelson Mandela’s Soweto house.
“EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) this is not your place. This is the occasion of the ANC. Nelson Mandela is ANC… was a member of the ANC till the end. He never left the ANC,” said ANC Joburg spokesman Jolidee Matongo as EFF members marched up Vilakazi Street to Mandela’s old home in Orlando West.
Wearing red berets and T-shirts emblazoned with Malema’s face and written “hands off”, EFF members sang Ayasaba amagwala… dubula, dubula (The cowards are scared shoot)”.
But ANCYL members avoided what nearly turned into a confrontation, simply shooing EFF members away.
“We’ll ignore those ones with red berets (EFF members). We mustn’t allow anyone to claim Mandela as theirs.
“When other people come in other colours we are not going to fight them but will ask them to leave. Otherwise they’ll get into (trouble).
“This is an event organised by the ANC,” said Matongo, telling those wearing red SACP berets to take them off “to avoid confusion”.
“All those wearing original ANC (SACP) berets take them off so we know who we are dealing with. Those ones (EFF) are also Mandela’s children… but you know every home has crazy people.
“You must remember that in the 1960s there are those who left the ANC. Now they (PAC) have got only one seat in Parliament. Others left and formed Cope. Now they are fighting among themselves,” said Matongo to crowds gathered on Vilakazi Street.
ANC Youth League national convener Mzwandile Masina also attacked Malema’s party, saying they have “bankrupted Limpopo and the league” before jumping ship.
“The Mickey Mouses that stole our regalia (red berets); we are not going to allow them to win (elections),” he said.
But provincial EFF convener Lufuno Kokoro vowed that his party would win next year’s elections in a bid to continue Mandela’s legacy.
“What we need to do as EFF, we are going to take the struggle of economic freedom. As we take over Gauteng to make sure that our land is returned to our people… that we nationalise the mines,” he said.
Before their confrontation with the ANCYL, Kokoro said: “Mama Winnie (Madikizela-Mandela), we offer our warmest revolutionary condolences. Your support towards Tata and contribution to the Struggle must never go unrecognised. We feel the pain with you.”
The Star