Cape Town – Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has hit back at criticism that he is not trustworthy as a potential president.
Last year, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola accused the EFF of being unreliable because its leaders changed their stance when it suited them.
Malema recently expressed support for African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Paul Mashatile over President Cyril Ramaphosa, despite previously criticising Mashatile.
But in an interview with SABC, Malema dismissed the label of being a “flip-flopper”, claiming that he creates the political wind rather than following it.
“I create the wind. So I can’t go with the wind. I am the wind. I create the political wind in South Africa and therefore cannot go with a certain wind.
“In politics, there is what we call tactics and strategy. So sometimes you have to kiss many frogs to arrive at your strategic objective. Malema, his enemies deliberately try to distort his message, so he remains a monster in the eyes of the public. It is for me, through a period of time and my involvement in politics, to demonstrate I am not what these people are saying,” Malema said.
Malema also addressed the issue of South Africa’s relations with the United States.
He defended his previous statement that the US ambassador Reuben Brigety should have been expelled from the country for alleging that South Africa supplied arms to Russia.
Malema argued that the ambassador breached diplomatic protocols by publicly making the allegations instead of raising them with the government.
“His credentials should have been withdrawn with immediate effect. Look at what he did to our currency and the good image of our country. Despite all the channels that are there, he takes a posture he’s taken discrediting SA. We’ve sent even the smallest thing, a cheppies, to Russia why would someone just in diplomatic engagement take such a posture against our country,” he said.
He expressed support for Russia, despite South Africa’s supposed non-aligned stance in the conflict with Ukraine.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
