Buffalo City Metro people came out in numbers yesterday to listen to Julius Malema as he rolled through communities to rally support for the party’s big birthday bash here on Saturday.
Malema said he was listening to the plight of the people in the townships.
He criticised the ANC for charging “ridiculous” electricity tariffs in Buffalo City.
“The electricity (tariff) in BCM has doubled in less than five years. Under the ANC leadership the poor continue to suffer,” said Malema.
He said the party would start lobbying against the “ridiculous” prices.
All indigent people qualified for discounted electricity prices, he added.
“People on Sassa (grants) should not even be signing these indigent forms because the government is the same,” said Malema.Other EFF heavyweights were spread out around the metro. Deputy president Floyd Shivambo was in Ginsberg, secretary general Goodrich Gardee was in King William’s town, and deputy secretary general Hlengiwe Hlophe in Mzomhle.
Malema visited Ntyampolo informal settlement near East London on Wednesday afternoon.
This was an hour after hundreds of EFF supporters marched to Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in Mdantsane to voice disappointment at how the hospital was being run.
Their grievances included the slow pace at which emergency cases at Cecilia Makiwane’s casualty unit were being handled, and the party also accused the hospital’s dispensing unit of not protecting patients’ confidentiality when dealing with HIV-positive patients.
Leading the Mdantsane protest was Afro-pop singer Ringo Madlingozi, who used the platform to announce he was a staunch EFF supporter.
Along with Madlingozi was EFF MP Zolile Xalisa.Madlingozi told the crowd he was fighting for decent healthcare because health is a human right. “I am here to say I am part of the community of Mdantsane. I am part of the black community.”
Another demand was that the hospital hire more highly skilled nurses.
The events formed part of the build up to Saturday’s fifth anniversary celebrations, to be held at the Sisa Dukashe stadium in Mdantsane.
This is the main event, at which Malema has promised to lay bare rampant corruption within government departments, as well as Eastern Cape municipalities.Cecilia Makiwane’s Dr Luntu Galo received the petition on behalf of the hospital management.
The EFF embarked on similar protests on Tuesday, which saw operations in at least five companies disrupted after their workers registered complaints with the party.
This was after EFF national leaders invited workers who believe they were unfairly treated at their work stations to come forward.
Madlingozi pledged his support for residents and said: “I am part of the poor and this is the time we treat our people decently.”..