Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has challenged mining companies in the Northern Cape to rehabilitate rural areas by providing water, flushing toilets and electricity.
Malema was campaigning ahead of the November first local government elections at Gamorona village near Kuruman.
EFF leader Julius Malema on the campaign trail in Kuruman:
The rural village has no tarred roads, has unreliable water supply, no electricity in some parts and still relies on Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines.
Malema says things need to change.
“This is what we wanted to expose, a lot of our people are going through the same in the rural areas. They are forgotten, they are rejected a lot by the ANC.
Councillors do not pay attention to the rural areas so we came here deliberately to expose the challenges, which is pure neglect of our people. Our people need water, our people need the roads they need electricity and jobs. We are touched by what’s happening here and we are going to help.”
Last week Thursday Malema said his party will outdo itself in this year’s local government elections.
The EFF took South Africa’s political landscape by surprise with its rather gallant performance in the 2016 local government elections. The party garnered enough votes to be kingmakers and form coalitions with other parties.
The EFF garnered over 16% of the overall votes in Limpopo during the 2016 local government elections.
The party also won 27 percent of the votes under the Polokwane Local Municipality. Malema says the 2016 local government elections were a learning curve for them.
