Cape Town - Social media has not been kind to Daily Maverick journalist and columnist Marianne Thamm for going through the refuse of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
In her story published online on Wednesday, Thamm touches on how the party's leadership travelled to Cape Town for the State of the Nation Address (SONA) and its subsequent debates where she says they spared no expense and allegedly "booked into a four-bedroom luxury Camps Bay villa priced at between R7,100 and R25,000 a night".
"When the Fighters checked out at 10am on Thursday 27 June 2019 they had run up a bill of about R60,000 for eight nights, most of which will be pocketed by the foreign owner," Thamm wrote.
In the piece, Thamm states that they also left their trash out in the street, which then allowed her to write about what she uncovered.
Reaction to the story have been polarising:
#Marianne wants to take us back to apartheid's Group Areas Act where blacks were not allowed in certain places. She questions why black EFF MPs did not book a guest house in Khayelitsha. Apparently they are too trashy for Camps Bay.
— Hloni Nyetanyane (@HloniNyetanyane) July 4, 2019
I don't know why people expect more from the EFF from that Daily Maverick article. This is par for the course from ANCYL graduates. You really think that they would stay anywhere else but Camps Bay and drink cheap liquor. You're welcome to Vilikazi street after any EFF rally. pic.twitter.com/w3Abp2fOqW
— Nandi (@FailedFoodie) July 3, 2019
Dear @MarianneThamm whilst convincing SA of EFF's ideological hypocrisy, u also exposed ur white privilege & racism implying places like Camps Bay villa are for WHITES ONLY & not for Black politicians, they must go to Langa where they belong, am not sure u know how much ths hurt pic.twitter.com/loox9V3Z5e
— River of Stars ✨🔭❤ (@_Babazile) July 3, 2019
#EFF hypocrisy on display by @MarianneThamm:
The party spent R60 000 rent on a Camps Bay villa owned by a foreigner;
R25 000 on liquor, incl. French champagne;
Acquired business class plane tickets.
Walking the talk & admitting the truth don’t constitute superior logic, it seems. https://t.co/4wkaPTlc8w
— Pauli Van Wyk (@PaulivW) July 3, 2019
I don't care if EFF leaders fvck with condoms or not...But I do care if they rent a 60k 4bedroom apartment in Camps Bay, splash on alcohol then pitch up in Parliament in red overalls & kitchen clothes like our mothers who were helpers & lived in poverty. Wat a paradox. Hypocrisy. pic.twitter.com/WvSTTa9Mzn
— Secretary Of Black Twittter (@Prince_S_A_) July 3, 2019
So in a nutshell blacks are not suppose to book in Camps Bay but a labor camp called Khayelitsha. The level of ignorance by this called journalists is sickening pic.twitter.com/GmqlFpRH0X
— Sibonakaliso Mhlongo (@SMhlongoEFF) July 3, 2019
Have we ran out of stories?
So bo Marianne Thamm ko Daily Maverick literally went through the EFF Leadership's trash so that they could get a story. Even went as far as analysing the condoms, champopho bottles and and how much was spent per night, per person at a Camps Bay Villa pic.twitter.com/47CVeSsiur
— Sanele B. Gumede💎 (@SaneleBGumede_) July 3, 2019
Party leader Julius Malema was at court on Wednesday where his party was tackling the Riotous Assemblies Act, and took the time to address the 'dustbin' story.
"If you want to go to the dustbin, go yourself, don't take us with you," Malema said.
You want to know what we think of the "dustbin story"?
Well... pic.twitter.com/82yVBAtlh9
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) July 4, 2019