Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema says if the party is elected to government in the upcoming elections, it will petition the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to scrap the country’s apartheid debt.
Malema was speaking in Midrand yesterday where the party took its Town Hall meeting to supporters as it gears up for the 29 May polls.
The EFF leader says apartheid debt owed by South Africa could be used for the country’s social responsibility programs.
“We now are owing almost R573 billion which we are servicing and that includes the apartheid debt. So, if you minus the apartheid debt to our foreign debt, then we save a lot of money that can be used in our social responsibility programs. The immediate thing that we are going to do when we take over government is to demand that the International Court of Justice should declare the apartheid debt invalid. Because you can’t pay for people who are coming to kill you.”
Scrapping student debt
Malema further says student debt in institutions of higher education will be scrapped if the party is elected to power.
The cancellation of student debt in institutions of higher learning forms one of the EFF’s key commitments included in its election manifesto.
Malema elaborates on student debt in the video below:
Response to criticism
Meanwhile, Malema responded to criticism that those who vote for the party will only be funding his lifestyle.
Malema says the comments are motivated by those who only want to fault him.
“So the accusation that I do this to finance my lifestyle is necessitated by the fact that you can’t fault me politically. And they start splitting hairs and trying to find fault with him – he doesn’t have a degree, woodwork, what-what. I fixed that. And then you come with this, I fix that. Where I’m wrong I accept and I fix that. They say you are overweight, I fix that.”
Malema responds to accusations that if anyone votes for the EFF in the upcoming election, then they’ll subsequently be funding his lifestyle. @sabcnews #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/2mDlFIOT4p
— Sibahle Motha 💕❤️🇿🇦 (@SibahleMo) April 20, 2024
Democracy 30 challenges
EFF supporters have also raised their concerns on challenges encountered in the 30 years of democracy.
Some shared their expectations of Malema while others shared their concerns about the state of the country.
“But when the EFF comes into power, (it’s) going to erase all student debt. I’m a victim of student debt – UCT (University of Cape Town) is taking me to court because I owe them. By the time I finish at UP (University of Pretoria) I might be owing them half a million.”
On support towards small businesses, someone said: “SARS and the production lines in the country are coming so hard towards the SMMEs in terms of getting as much as they can to an extent that even if you try to do business, you’ll be left with nothing.”
Another EFF supporter touched on transport, saying: “Transport is as crucial as water and power. You cannot run an economy on a dizzy public transport system. So, we have to be intentional on improving.”
Malema speaks about President Cyril Ramaphosa’s comments to a young graduate last week, when she told him that she was unemployed and searching for a job. #sabcnews @sabcnews pic.twitter.com/6E8hR0uRx6
— Sibahle Motha 💕❤️🇿🇦 (@SibahleMo) April 20, 2024
Report by Sibahle Motha
