Alex protests an ANC campaign – Malema charges

The EFF is the latest political party to label Alexandra protests an ANC creation.

The party's leader Julius Malema told journalists during a media briefing at its headquarters on Thursday that while the demands and concerns of those living in the township were valid, he believed the #AlexandraTotalShutDown campaign was the brainchild of the ANC.

"It's a campaign strategy which is going to backfire big time on the ANC.

Let them go on instigating, but they must know it will spread to the municipalities they are in," Malema warned.

Residents of the historic township have been protesting over a lack of service delivery and mushrooming informal settlements since last week.

They have also attempted to take their demands to its more affluent neighbour Sandton and asked for a meeting with Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba.

Mashaba, who also blamed the ANC for the demonstrations, has failed to meet with residents - a move Malema says should have happened a long time ago.

"Mashaba doesn't think properly.

He should have gone on the second day, nothing would have happened to him.

He should have gone to Alex and got humiliated.

If you want to be a leader, you can't be scared to be booed, howled [at] and insulted," said Malema.

He also questioned why his party was expected to support a cause led by someone who tore down EFF election posters.

He was referring to Kenneth Mgaga's involvement in the protests.

Mgaga was caught on camera in an ANC T-shirt removing EFF posters in the township.

ANC ready to vomit out someone Malema, resorting to his usual style of predicting developments in the ANC, which was once his political home, said President Cyril Ramaphosa would not finish his term.

He weighed in on the ANC's controversial candidate lists for the National Assembly and provincial legislatures and the ongoing debate over those who were likely to end up in the Cabinet.

Malema said unlike the period before the watershed ANC Polokwane conference, former president Thabo Mbeki decided on his Cabinet alone.

But this changed at the 2007 conference, with the top six playing a part in selecting members of the executive.

"Ace [Magashule] says Nomvula [Mokonaye] has to be defended.

It will be Ace with Thuma Mina (send me)," he said, mocking Ramaphosa over his previous reference to the song by late jazz musician Hugh Masekela.

Malema believed that attempts by Ramaphosa to remove Mokonyane as a minister would be met with questions relating to the president himself over issues such as corruption accused company Bosasa and Marikana.

"He won't finish his term.”

"The ANC is ready to vomit someone, and it will be him.”

Malema said Ramaphosa was between a rock and a hard place.

"If he dares remove them from the list, like he did in Limpopo, removing elected people  because of VBS. They've gone to the ground now, working the branches," said Malema.

He insisted that he could see the trend developing around the president, based on his experience as a member of the governing party, where he once served as ANC Youth League president.

No formal coalition talks on the table Malema said there had been no formal talks with any political parties to discuss possibilities of working together.

He said coalitions would depend on what was on offer, if and when the discussion takes place.

He took the time to speak about the DA's campaign in these elections describing them as "personal".

"The DA is even worse...because of the way they have gone after the EFF. It's personal. Their attack on the EFF makes it extremely impossible to even pick up the phone and call them," he said, referring to a future relationship.

"The DA logged a complaint over EFF posters in the Western Cape. These are the people we put in power in Tshwane and Johannesburg," he continued.

Malema also complained about the confusion experienced by the ANC under Ramaphosa when it came to issues such as land expropriation and the nationalisation of the Reserve Bank.

In a quick turnaround he said the EFF would be willing to negotiate with all manner of parties, including the ANC and DA, over taking some governments in the country.

It just depended on what they put on the negotiation table.

News24 has approached the ANC for comment, which will be added once received.

News24