EFF leader Julius Malema has expressed confidence that his party will have a walk in the park in KwaZulu-Natal in the upcoming national and provincial government elections. He said the governing ANC in the province is led by weak leaders.
Drunken debate
According to Malema, listening to ANC KZN provincial chairman Siboniso Duma and provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo is tantamount to hearing drunkards debating politics at a tavern.
Malema was addressing the party’s first press briefing of 2024 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
This is the same venue where the red berets brigade is preparing to launch their election manifesto on February 10.
The ANC will not score anything above 25% at the polls, said Malema, and EFF will capitalise on their weaknesses.
ANC only guaranteed to get below 25%
“We are looking very good in KZN in terms of the potential to takeover this province. All the research shows that the ANC won’t get anything more than 25% in KZN,” said a buoyant Malema.
“We must start accepting that the ANC is gone in KZN. Apart from whatever the EFF is doing, the ANC is self-destructive and led by childish leadership in KZN.
“Just listen to the chairperson (Duma) and secretary (Mtolo) speaking. It is like you are in a shebeen listening to drunk people debating politics,” he said.
Malema said KZN was very strategic for the EFF’s plan of action to dethrone the ANC. He added that this is not only in the province, but nationally as well.
Top three provinces with highest voter numbers
The province was key because it was among the top three provinces with the highest number of voters, thus impacts on the national outcome.
In his view, the ANC was not going to regain the Western Cape, while it was bound to lose Gauteng.
Therefore, it was paramount for the EFF to press hard in KZN to see ANC’s backside and remove them from power. He said this will impact on the national poll numbers.
ANC and IFP ‘cornered’ by EFF in KZN
“You cannot remove the ANC from government nationally without having a plan with KZN.
“We received 350,000 votes in KZN in 2019 without a targeted campaign in the province. The outcome we got in KZN in 2019, we never expected it.
“But to us it was a call from KZN people that they are longing for the EFF and we are here now. Imagine if we could get 350,000 votes sihleli nje (without campaigning for it). We are here now, and it is going to be very difficult for the ANC and the IFP,” he said.
