The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says mineworkers influenced him to start a political party after the 2012 Marikana massacre.
Malema says this during the party’s 10th year anniversary celebration held in Marikana near Rustenburg, North West, on Wednesday. The party was officially launched in October 2013.
Malema says mineworkers pleaded with him to register his own political party.
“To our surprise those workers were not shaken, they only asked us one thing they said ‘please open a political party we want to follow you. We want alternative to a dead ANC ‘ and we responded by forming the EFF. When we came here to talk to the workers there was no thinking, no any idea of forming a political party until this workers insisted in our presence.”
VIDEO: Malema addresses EFF 10th anniversary in Marikana:
National heritage site
Malema wants the koppie in Marikana to be declared as national heritage site. Malema says they will also want 16 August, the day of the Marikana Massacre to be declared as Worker’s day.
“Only a government can fence that koppie and it will happen when the EFF takes the government of North West and South Africa will declare this national heritage site. We will make sure no one tampers with Marikana. We know workers of Marikana on 16 August and we will move it and make sure 16 August becomes a workers day.”
EFF officials pay respect the slain Marikana workers at the foot of the Marikana Koppie.
Malema says they slaughtered more than 15 cows and made traditional beer (umqombothi) as a practice of offering a sacrifice.
♦️In Pictures♦️
CIC @Julius_S_Malema with the EFF Officials drinking Umqombothi at the foot of the Marikana Koppie, to pay respect the slain Marikana Workers
– The blood that nourishes this land, gave birth to a new revolution in the form of the EFF#HappyBirthdayEFF pic.twitter.com/Ef8qhI5xF3
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) July 26, 2023
