Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says South Africa does not have enough capacity to engage in warfare at the moment. Malema has criticised the government for keeping soldiers in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following the deaths of 13 SANDF soldiers.
Addressing EFF party structures in Bela Bela following its third National People’s Assembly last year, Malema has once more reiterated his stance regarding the ongoing conflict in the DRC.
While Malema commended the SANDF soldiers who are deployed in the region, he has lambasted those who are responsible for deploying South African soldiers in that region.
“The conflict in the DRC, therefore, does not require a Head of State who suffers from a desire to be a hero at the expense of the lives of our soldiers without the appreciation of the condition that informs the conflict, it is when you do not appreciate the condition that informs the conflict the DRC that you speak in fork tongues when you communicate to the President of Rwanda and you communicate a different message to the people of South Africa, lies have short legs Mr President and we demand clarity from you because you sent our soldiers to their death.”
‘Bring our soldiers home’
Malema is pleading for the safe return of the soldiers. “Bring our soldiers home because our army should not be a pawn in the game of capitalists which has now exposed the weakness of our military capacity. Bring them home because every day they pass away, we see a deliberate destruction of our arms manufacturer Denel and we see the consequence of the year-on-year budget cuts to the defense department. Mr President bring our soldiers home and desist from meddling in the affairs of DRC and Rwanda.”
Video: DRC Conflict – Malema calls for the withdrawal of SANDF troops
Meanwhile, the party’s plenum brought party leadership structures with the sole purpose of finalising resolutions taken during the party’s third National People’s Assembly last year.
“Commissars and fighters, we are gathered here today after a successful national third national people’s assembly, which elected the leadership collective and resolved key tasks that must be achieved over the next five years. The plenum serves as a strategic meeting of the EFF that charts the agenda and the program for the EFF for the year.”
The party plans to implement some of its resolutions, including ensuring the implementation of the BELA Act, among others. The assembly will run throughout the weekend in closed plenary sessions.
