The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has thanked South Africans who voted for the party in the local government elections where the party increased its support from the 2016 polls at the national level.
The EFF increased its support by two percentage points to around 10%.
Malema was addressing the party’s Siyabonga Rally at Sekhukhune Stadium in Tembisa’s Winnie Mandela Informal Settlement in Johannesburg’s east rand.
The party managed to garner 13,47% of the votes in Ekurhuleni, which translates to 31 seats in that Metro.
The EFF leader has told thousands of supporters in Tembisa that his party did not lose in the recent local election, but it was taking its time to strengthen its position with real followers.
Bonke labantu ngabakithi. #EFFSiyabongaRally pic.twitter.com/RvVTJk8CWg
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) November 20, 2021
Earlier, roads in and around the Sekhukhune Stadium were congested as party faithful on foot, in buses and cars made their way to the rally.
Police are keeping a watchful eye on proceedings. The party’s thank you bash will see attendees treated to a feast with five cows slaughtered on Friday.
Party funding
The party has sought to explain its failure to declare donations of over R100 000 to the IEC by claiming that those who have vast amounts of wealth like the Oppenheimer family will never make donations to the EFF because of the party’s policies.
Speaking at the party’s Siyabonga rally, Malema says those with wealth only donate to what he calls liberals such as the DA and ActionSA because they are opposed to the nationalisation of mines and expropriation of land without compensation.
Malema adds that they will not be found in breach of the Political Party Funding Act at the end of the year. He says the EFF must depend on its own officials and members.
“They will never find anything wrong because we don’t get money from anyone. We get money from our councillors, our MPLs, our MPs. It’s called party levy when we say we have moved from 800 to 1000 plus means more money for the EFF because that where our money comes from.”
Below – EFF’s Siyabonga Rally live proceedings:
‘Unscrupulous methods’
Meanwhile, the EFF in the Free State has given its perspective about Cooperative Governance MEC Mxolisi Dukwana being accused of trying to use unscrupulous methods to bring the African National Congress (ANC) back into power in some municipalities.
Dukwana had released a notice saying he intends to revise council powers of struggling municipalities.
EFF provincial secretary Bosanku Msimanga says the ANC must stop behaving like bitter losers and instead go back and clean their house.
“ANC is bitter losers. They need to make peace that in some municipalities which are strategic in Free State they will have to occupy the opposition benches. They need to be humbled and accept where democratic processes have put them. MEC by trying to cut powers of other municipalities where ANC is losing power will not help to resolve problems of Free State, even if he can say he’s trying to be cost-effective and trying to deal with finances of municipalities”.
