ANC is a party in crisis after Mbeki visit - Malema
Pretoria - EFF leader Julius Malema says the visit by four ANC mayoral candidates to former president Thabo Mbeki's house was a sign of a party in crisis.
"Why would you need an endorsement from your own member? You should ordinarily know that your member will vote for you," Malema told reporters in Pretoria on Tuesday.
"They said Mbeki is their member. Mbeki himself released a statement saying he is an ANC member. Imagine me asking Mbuyiseni [Ndlozi] to go home to Orange Farm and announce I'm going to visit him."
Malema was reacting to the visit by Thoko Didiza, Parks Tau and Mzwandile Masina to Mbeki's house a day after his party's leadership visited the former president. He described the move as stupid and accused the ANC of following an agenda set by the EFF.
"That is stupidity, lack of thinking. They have run out of ideas. We are killing them. We are setting the agenda and they are following us. We are young people full of energy led by intellectuals and not people who survived through some struggle endorsements but with no thinking capabilities," he said.
Malema added that the failure of the ANC's top leaders to be part of the visit to Mbeki's house was an indication of a party in crisis.
"That is an organisation in a crisis. The centre is not holding. The ANC is known for something called khomba ndlela. Every time they give instruction, members will follow. Today others went and others didn't," said Malema.
He added that the EFF was ready for the elections and they would be contesting to win every ward and municipality. He said their fears about the new IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini were alleviated following meetings with the organisation.
"We have never doubted the integrity or capacity of the IEC to deliver free and fair elections, all we were doing was to warn them that they must be neutral and continue to do what they are known for. We were worried about the appointment of the new chairperson because of his proximity to President [Jacob] Zuma," he said.
This article first appeared on News24.
