The EFF’s only objective is to grandstand whenever TV cameras are around

Surely the time to judge the EFF and its role as a legitimate parliamentary entity has arrived, says the writer. Picture: Phando Jikelo/African News Agency(ANA

Surely the time to judge the EFF and its role as a legitimate parliamentary entity has arrived, says the writer. Picture: Phando Jikelo/African News Agency(ANA

Published Nov 11, 2020

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By Mitch Launspach

Surely the time to judge the EFF and its role as a legitimate parliamentary entity has arrived?

Since its members were elected to Parliament, under the leadership of Julius Malema, we have seen little that gives us confidence that the EFF MPs are in Parliament for anything other than their salaries and perks.

Like every other MP each EFF individual would have taken an oath in which they “swear to be faithful to the Republic of South Africa and (will) obey, uphold and respect the Constitution and all other law of the Republic”.

They have failed to honour the oath, and there is little evidence that they are committed to working within the framework of the law to create a better life for all.

On more than one occasion, EFF members have disrupted parliamentary proceedings to the point where they had to be escorted from the chamber. More ominously, Malema, in a television interview, stated: “We are not calling for the slaughtering of white people, at least for now.”

It’s impossible to imagine a white politician making a racially changed statement like that and getting away with it. Malema is facing charges of discharging a firearm at a public gathering, and he and another senior member of the party, Mbuyiselo Ndlozi, are facing charges of assaulting a policeman.

It would seem the EFF’s only objective is to grandstand whenever the TV cameras are around, to exploit and exacerbate racial animosity. The best example of this was when they looted and torched Clicks stores during a protest over a racist shampoo advertisement. As usual, the SAPS’s response was pathetic, and I have not heard of a charge of public violence.

The EFF leader had the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the maturity and responsibility that one would expect of the leader of a political party, but he chose instead to inflame the situation by tweeting a message to his followers to “attack”.

I cannot imagine that any other parties would be allowed to get away with such thuggish behaviour.

At some point those targeted by the EFF hooligans are going to retaliate, and people are going to be seriously injured.

The Star

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