Cape Town — Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema, said President Cyril Ramaphosa’s political journey suggests the Government of National Unity (GNU) was not a recent creation.
Speaking during the President’s budget vote on Tuesday, Malema and Ramaphosa went back and forth with each other in a war of words.
Malema had criticised Ramaphosa, who felt that the EFF leader had insulted his father, who was a policeman during Apartheid.
“You and I need to sit down and talk about politics, especially about apartheid-era politics, which I think confuses you. Some two years ago, you once stood here and insulted my father and I, saying that he was a policeman. I am proud to be the son of a policeman, a very good policeman,” said Ramaphosa.
In response, Malema said it was his job to hold the president accountable for his actions and that Parliament was a place for robust discussions.
[WATCH] “It is important that as we debate, we should play the ball and not the man. You spent a considerable amount of time playing me, the man,” President Cyril Ramaphosa questions EFF leader Julius Malema’s debating style in Parliament. pic.twitter.com/6p2cdiIQkE
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) July 22, 2024
As reported by SABC News, Malema dismissed accusations that he insulted the President’s father and chose to attack the formation of the GNU, which he said originated from the White Capital Establishment. Malema also questioned why Ramaphosa found it insulting to say he did not join his peers on Robben Island during Apartheid,
“It is a fact that in light of the Government of National Unity which originates from the White Capital Establishment, we need to appreciate your historical involvement with these white people. And close attention to your political journey gives testament to the suspicion that this government was not actually created now. It came from a long time ago because you made a project a long time ago,” Malema said.
“When we say you did not go to Robben Island when your peers went to Robben Island, how can that be an insult? When we say you wrote a letter and said they planted communist ideas in your head to the police, how can that be an insult?” he added.
EFF Leader Julius Malema Claps Back at President Ramaphosa Amid Accusations of Disrespect.
He questioned the narrative surrounding Ramaphosa’s past, highlighting his involvement with GNU and his historical ties with the “white capitalist establishment.” https://t.co/ImN0imzowi
— THE TRUTH PANTHER (@TheTruthPanther) July 23, 2024
Malema and the EFF also said Ramaphosa failed to address “pressing issues” that the party brought up during the Opening of Parliament debate last week, IOL reported.
EFF spokesperson, Leigh-Ann Mathys, said the president’s theatrics were a ploy to get pity points from parliamentarians, by speaking Sepedi and his native tongue, TshiVenda, to emphasise a point.
“Ramaphosa’s theatrics were nothing short of a desperate attempt to sidestep the real questions. He did not deny the allegations of being an apartheid spy. Instead, he pathetically dragged his father into the conversation, whom Malema did not mention, to manipulate and victimise himself,” Mathys added.
She echoed Malema’s views over the validity of the GNU and choosing to partner with the ‘white supremacist’ Democratic Alliance (DA), and labelled him the “darling” of the pact.
She furthermore accused Ramaphosa of hiding away from his corruption allegations, referring to the Phala Phala report. She said his cowardly performance in parliament was a testament to his inability to confront the truth and his avoidance of people’s demands.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
