EFF leader Julius Malema says he’s outgoing president of the party, rubbishing claims he is a “dictator”. If he is not re-elected in leadership next month Malema will go back to farming.
He has led the party since it was formed in 2013. The EFF will hold its elective conference in December and Malema said his position as president is not guaranteed.
“A dictator will have all the reasons to say ’no, let's not go to a conference and see how this thing goes about’. You can just defy by using the dynamics,” Malema said, as more EFF members reportedly wait to see if they’ll secure leadership positions before deciding whether to leave the party.
“We don’t do that [defy] because we’re not dictators. We are the most democratic organisation, but very decisive and that doesn’t allow ill-discipline.
“When you say [I am] outgoing president you are right. We are the only organisation, after the ANC, which goes to a conference and the president gets to be told: ‘your term of office has ended, leave the stage to join [the] others’, [from there] anything can happen.”
Listen to Malema:
LISTEN | 'I’m not a dictator, I’m outgoing EFF president,' says Malema, with an eye on farming
Audio producer
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
EFF leader Julius Malema says he’s outgoing president of the party, rubbishing claims he is a “dictator”. If he is not re-elected in leadership next month Malema will go back to farming.
He has led the party since it was formed in 2013. The EFF will hold its elective conference in December and Malema said his position as president is not guaranteed.
“A dictator will have all the reasons to say ’no, let's not go to a conference and see how this thing goes about’. You can just defy by using the dynamics,” Malema said, as more EFF members reportedly wait to see if they’ll secure leadership positions before deciding whether to leave the party.
“We don’t do that [defy] because we’re not dictators. We are the most democratic organisation, but very decisive and that doesn’t allow ill-discipline.
“When you say [I am] outgoing president you are right. We are the only organisation, after the ANC, which goes to a conference and the president gets to be told: ‘your term of office has ended, leave the stage to join [the] others’, [from there] anything can happen.”
Listen to Malema:
Malema said other leaders such as Herman Mashaba (ActionSA), Gayton McKenzie (PA) and Jacob Zuma (MK Party) don’t hold elective conferences but are not called dictators and “they are not pretentious about it”.
Malema said he is available for any position EFF members nominate him for and will accept it.
If not elected, he said he would remain a member but go back to farming to look after cattle and the chickens full-time, which he has started in his spare time. “You know why politicians stay until they are 82 years/83 years and can't look after their grandchildren? It's because they don't know what to do after politics. When you ask them to leave they ask you an honest question: 'where must I go?' I don't want to have that problem.”
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