Johnathan Paoli
Economic Freedom Fighter leader Julius Malema has expressed his gratitude at the support the party received and said it was ready to start talking to other parties to constitute a government in the next fourteen days.
Malema was addressing the media on Saturday at the Results Operations Centre in Midrand and said the party was open to other parties, but will be guided by crucial negotiation principles.
These include, an appreciation of the cardinal pillars of the party; service delivery commitments with clear deadlines; and guided by the values of anti-racism, anti-imperialism and a commitment to African growth and prosperity.
Malema said the negotiations agreements would be published and transparent to all and promised effective communication.
In addition, some of the fundamental expectations the party would drive during negotiations revolved around constitutional changes that would facilitate land expropriation without compensation, state-owned banks, removal of historic student debt, removal of Die Stem from the national anthem, and the provision of free clinics and improved healthcare for women.
Malema said, despite the obvious need of compromise to a certain level when it comes to coalitions, theirs was a generational mission, and that certain issues such as the land would be deal-breakers in any agreement.
“We are not desperate for positions, and we will not sacrifice principles on the altar of political convenience,” he said.
The EFF has attained fourth place in the rankings at the polls with current support being 9.46% or 1 493 090 votes.
Malema praised the historic loss of support for the ruling party and said the EFF has achieved the drive to unseat the African National Congress (ANC).
“For the first time since 1994, the parliamentary majority of the ANC has been broken. What we are going to do as the EFF is to talk to all political parties to constitute a government,” he said.
When asked on whether the EFF felt threatened by the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, Malema confirmed that the party was not concerned by the former president Jacob Zuma’s party.
He said MK’s rise, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, was not surprising, considering the unexpected support the EFF received in the province during the 2019 elections, was due to supporters of the ANC’s “Radical Economic Transformation” having no alternative choice but the Red Berets.
“MK and the EFF are cousins. We are glad they have found their home,” Malema said.
EFF Head of Presidency, Vuyani Pambo said before the presser, that the party is not threatened by the Umkhonto weSizwe party, and said they would only consider a relationship or coalition with a party that agrees with the EFF’s seven cardinal pillars.
“We are not threatened by the MK, the MK is a new party and it’s a new child in the block, we are not threatened by anyone, not even by the ANC,” Pambo said.
On the topic of foreigners, Malema said that despite confusion, the EFF was simply calling for a more effective manner of dealing with economic inequality and poverty both within the country and the continent.
He said in order to solve the “foreigner problem”, what was needed was the development of African economies, and that any division of the Black working class and unemployed would be unacceptable.
EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu previously said he remained confident the party will be in government following the possibility of forming a coalition government with other parties.
The CIC said, despite MK’s remarks concerning the ANC, the EFF were very willing to work with the former ruling party, due to their irrevocable and inherent weaknesses.
“We want to work with the ANC. An ANC which is compromised, is not arrogant. An ANC that loses power cannot recover. That is why we prefer them, because they will never grow,” Malema said.
Malema said that despite the apparent unwillingness of many other parties in appointing Shivambu as Finance Minister, one of the positions the EFF would demand is the speaker of Parliament, in order to effectively monitor the conduct of the national legislature.
He said the party was excited and confident going forward in the government of the country.
“Sangena! We will be a problem for another five years. We are ready to go to Cape Town, we must put on our boots,” he said
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