Johannesburg – If elected in the August 3 local government elections, the Economic Freedom Fighters will create corruption-free municipalities centred around people’s needs, such as quality education, jobs, and basic services, EFF leader Julius Malema told thousands of supporters at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg, on Saturday.
Over a thousand meetings had been held across the country with communities to hear their concerns ahead of the EFF’s election manifesto launch, he said.
The “inclusive municipalities” would be operational for six days a week with councillors living within their communities. All apartheid symbols and statues would be destroyed and streets renamed, Malema said.
EFF councillors would hold at least one community meeting a month and would be available around the clock to assist the communities they served.
“The EFF people’s municipality will put an end to cadre deployment practices and policies in all municipalities. All municipal employees will be employed on the basis of their qualifications and suitability for the job and not on the basis of which political party they belong to.”
Malema took a jibe at former Agang SA leader and academic Mamphela Ramphele, and said she would be employed by the EFF for her skills.
“Mamphela Ramphele, we know that you are unemployed, we will hire you because we hire for skills, not about which political party you belong to,” he said to applause and cheering.
Senior officials would not be allowed to own businesses within their communities and municipalities would build fresh food markets and stalls for locally produced food, with a minimum of 50 percent of basic goods, services, and products consumed in a municipality produced and manufactured within the area.
African News Agency
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