We saw it in Zimbabwe, now it’s South Africa – EFF’s Malema blasts ‘captured’ judiciary

admin February 9, 2024

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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - JANUARY 09: Julius Malema, President of the Economic Freedom Fighters along with other members of the Economic Freedom Fighters party hold a press conference to address goals for the 2014 South African Presidential Elections at the Lamanu Meeting Room in Braamfontein on January 9, 2014 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Economic Freedom Fighters is a political party started by former African National Congress Youth League president Julius Malema in August of 2013 and is one of the primary opposition parties running against the current South African president Jacob Zuma and the African National Congress led Government. (Photo by J. Countess/Getty Images)

SABC News

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) says it’s going to challenge the Western Cape High Court’s decision to suspend six members from participating in this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).

The EFF says the court’s decision is undemocratic and unlawful. Malema was addressing the Durban University of Technology students at the Ndumiso Campus in Pietermaritzburg. This was part of the party’s build-up to its manifesto launch.

“We will appeal to the Constitutional Court because we must not allow that precedent where elected members of Parliament can be removed through undemocratic methods and supported by the captured judiciary. It started like that in Zimbabwe where members of Parliament are rough tackled. We saw it in Zimbabwe, it is coming to South Africa. It must be stopped with immediate effect. Judges are not the Constitution; judges are not God and therefore they must be criticized when they are wrong. How do you say you must not call point of order; you regulate speech in Parliament,” says Malema.

Malema says the State of the Nation Address will not inspire hope and that the challenges facing the country will not be dealt with.

“He has failed in all aspects; health facilities have collapsed, the infrastructure that he inherited has collapsed because the man has nothing that he can do right especially with the collective of the ANC. They do not want us in Parliament today because it is a group of cowards, there is no leader who is a coward like President Ramaphosa who is being protected by the judges. He is hiding behind the red dress of the judges because he knows politically, he will not be able to defeat us, we are not worried about that.”