Bloemfontein - EFF leader Julius Malema has lashed out at some voters who either did not go out to vote or chose to back the ANC at the recent municipal by-elections despite claiming to be supporters of his party.
Malema was on Sunday addressing residents of Ward 6 in Mohokare Municipality in the Free State, where the EFF secured 40% of the by-election vote on November 11, just behind the ANC's 43%.
The ward was among the 96 wards up for grabs across the country as the ANC, DA and the EFF jostled for control and used the elections as a dry run for the 2021 local government elections.
Despite its significant growth in terms of electoral support in some wards, including in Mohokare, the EFF did not win any of the wards that were contested.
EFF provincial chairperson Mandisa Makhesini visited the area to thank the community for the massive support, even though it did not dislodge the ANC in the ward.
“The president is here to speak to them, to thank them for believing in the EFF and to give more courage to South Africans, come 2021, to do better than this year,” Makhesini said.
Speaking to the community, Malema slammed the continued backing of the ANC or voter apathy by some members.
“Shame on all of you who did not go and vote on that day. The ANC took the election because you stayed in your house. We ferried you in our taxis and gave you our T-shirts and said you must vote for us. When you got there, you voted for thieves,” Malema said.
He lamented that some had pretended to be backing the EFF only to vote for the ANC.
“Stop pretending. When you don’t love us, you don’t love us,” he said.
He then changed his tune and hailed the close contest between the EFF and the ANC in the ward, adding that this indicated that his party stood a chance of taking over in 2021.
Malema also slammed how farms in the municipality continued to enjoy electricity while some townships and areas where farm workers lived, remained without connectivity for years.
IOL