Parliament – Fiery Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema on Tuesday apologised to former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Nelson Mandela for helping to bring President Jacob Zuma to power, before he led a walkout of his MPs from the National Assembly chamber.
Speaking during a joint sitting of Parliament during a debate on Zuma’s state-of-the-nation address, Malema acknowledged that he had “led the charge for the removal of President Mbeki” and admitted this was a mistake.
“We are here today to once again apologise to former president Mbeki for being part of those who removed him on the basis of lies, rumours, gossip spread by the sitting president.”
“We were misled by this man,” Malema said, referring to a glum-looking Zuma who sat just metres away listening to the debate.
The EFF president claimed current Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula, who was Malema’s predecessor as ANC Youth League president, and his “former friend” had encouraged him not to get involved in removing Mbeki.
“That’s why I know Mr Mbalula has got capacity to see wrong things. He just needs to come around. Had we listened to him, we would not be in this thing…”
Malema included an apology to the late founding president of democratic South Africa, Nelson Mandela.
“We apologise to President Mandela for allowing Mr Zuma to ruin his legacy and turning South Africa into a junk country,” he said.
“We never, and will never agree with the economic policies pursued by President Mbeki and President Mandela, but at least they knew what they stood for, unlike him who stands for nothing, always get persuaded by the Guptas to take wrong decisions.”
The EFF leader, who was booted from the National Assembly last week for disrupting Zuma’s speech, went on to list the “signs” he ignored as he helped Zuma rise to the position of ANC President in 2007, and State President in 2009.
“This is the man who knowingly had sex with an HIV positive woman and later explained to a court that a shower will lessen the chances of contracting HIV. We are now a laughing stock of the world,” said Malema as he laid into the President.
“This is the man who knowingly impregnated a friend’s child despite that he had many wives at home.”
Turning to Zuma’s announcement that he backed a plan to move Parliament from Cape Town to Pretoria, Malema said he agreed that the country required only one capital city.
“More than money, it is politically correct for South Africa to have one capital city, to affirm its own identity as a post-colonial territory, not unworkable capital cities that waste resources of our people,” he said.
A defiant Malema lashed out at those criticising his refusal to sing the lyrics of “Die Stem”, included in South Africa’s national anthem, saying it would be another “colonial compromise”.
“No ruling, neither a court nor prison, will force us to sing a song of the apartheid murderers.”
After declaring that Zuma should be removed as President, Malema led a walk-out of his fellow EFF MPs from the House.
“I’m leaving. I can’t sit here to debate what you presented here because you are not a legitimate president. Bye, bye,” Malema said.
His parting shot drew a stern warning from Speaker Baleka Mbete, who said: “Honourable Malema, as you leave, I want you to know that as you know what you did was wrong. You should have done in it in the form of a substantive motion. You did it knowingly and it was wrong and shall be expunged from the Hansard.”
African News Agency
* Use IOL’s Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.