Riyaz Patel
EFF delegates to the party’s National People’s Assembly (NPA) have expressed concern after several women were taken to the hospital after being pepper sprayed by the party’s security known as the ‘defenders of the revolution.’
The scuffle came after party leader Julius Malema emphasised that discipline is a cardinal requirement if the EFF is to grow when he presented his political report to the conference on Saturday.
“You are very angry and I am angry myself. Last night, when I received these news I was very angry with what happened to them because I knew that the enemy agents are waiting for such a small incident then they will be on top of us.“
EFF members, speaking at the party’s plenary session Sunday morning, complained about a scuffle which left some delegates injured and which required them to be taken to hospital.
Delegates also raised concerns about the head of the DOR, known as “General,” who allegedly wears a balaclava to cover his face.
A member told the conference that they were happy to hear that he had been removed following Saturday night’s incident.
Another delegate, however, said more needed to be done.
“We acknowledge that the leadership is saying that [the] general has been dismissed, but that is not sufficient. If we are going to look at them on an individual basis, it means that whenever we have issues we are just going to fire,” she said.
“You don’t want to give them an opportunity to be more on us. Don’t allow the enemy to come in between you and the people who have made this conference a success,” Malema said.
