Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema, has appealed to the youth of South Africa not to give up and to continue to educate themselves.

Malema was speaking at Hoërskool Uitsig in Centurion, Pretoria, in commemoration of the June 1976 student uprising.

He says education is the key to success and therefore the youth must grab that opportunity.

Malema says the youth should draw inspiration from the likes of the late struggle icon, Hector Pieterson, who died this day in 1976.

“He left us with enough material to revive us, to equip us, to inspire us as Black people and to continue the good fight. We are not the type that will just sit back and say we complain, that’s not why we are here. We are here to say to every White man, there is a place for every Black person in South Africa including here,” he says.

The EFF leader says Pieterson’s death must be solely blamed on former South African Prime Minister, John Vorster. He says Vorster presided over the death of many young people in the country, for merely fighting for their rights as young people.

“They don’t repeat the name, they don’t hypnotise you with the name of a murder who killed our people in 1976. John Vorster is responsible for 1976, John Vorster is responsible for the murder of Hector Peterson. And AKK those who came after him, because they did not prosecute him they too have got blood of Hector Peterson,” he told EFF supporters.

EFF marks Youth Day in Centurion:

Vaccine woes

Malema also touched on the country’s vaccine challenges.

He says his party will picket outside the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) headquarters in Pretoria on Friday next week.

It will be demanding that the Chinese vaccine and that of Russia be approved for use in South Africa. He says the delay by government in driving the vaccination process is going to cost a lot of lives.

The EFF leader says should they not be happy, they will stage a sit-in at the house of SAHPRA CEO, Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela until their call is headed.

“After picketing there next week Friday, they have seven days to approve the Russian vaccine and the Chinese vaccine, failure to do so, we’re do stage a sleep in at the house of the CEO of SAHPRA until they protect us, it is personal like that. It is personal like that. We are going to her house, we want her to approve Sputnik and Chinese vaccine to add on what we have now,” he says.

South Africa is currently the Johnson and Johnson and the Pfizer vaccine in the second phase of its vaccination programme.