Cape Town – ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says his party is not obligated to invite the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to the Brics political parties dialogue.
Mbalula’s comments came after EFF leader Julius Malema criticised the ANC for excluding his party from the engagement.
The dialogue, organised by the ANC, will be attended by various political parties and activists later this month.
According to The Citizen, Malema said his party’s exclusion from the pre-Brics event was down to “political jealousy” as questions remained on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the main summit next month.
“It is patently clear that the EFF is an important voice in the global affairs of society, and to undermine calls for its presence at Brics is nothing, but political jealousy,” the report quoted Malema as saying during a media briefing at the EFF’s headquarters in Johannesburg on Thursday.
[WATCH] We have nothing against the EFF being invited to BRICS by whoever. We will not interfere anyhow with their invitation. https://t.co/LJNGt9m6B1 pic.twitter.com/PxIrb2Pyzd
— ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | Cde Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) July 7, 2023
But according to EWN, Mbalula disagreed and said: “Our allies, the youth, the students, we’ve invited them. EFF and Julius are not invited. If they want to organise their own, they can organise… but this one is the ANC’s.”
The three-day Brics political parties dialogue is scheduled to take place in Boksburg from 18 to 20 July, preceding the Brics heads of state summit next month.
Mbalula said: “There’s then the Brics Heads of State Summit in August [which is] convened by government. I represent the ANC and even myself I have not received an invitation to that summit. If the EFF and Julius [or any party] are invited then we have no right to stand against that invitation. That will be the call of the South African government,” the ANC secretary-general said.
“We have got a lot on our plate to be thinking about the EFF at every turn of the moment so why would the ANC oppose other political parties if they are invited. We have got our own programme of action. If there’s confusion there, we are now clarifying it once and for all. There are two here events here.”
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Picture: Twitter/ @MbalulaFikile
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
