Fikile Mbalula, the ANC secretary-general, has slammed EFF leader Julius Malema as “the biggest puppet in this country.”
Mbalula took a shot at Malema over the weekend during an ANC Youth League fundraising breakfast in Gauteng.
Malema, according to Mbalula, is a “cult leader” and a “character trying to hijack our country’s revolution.”
Mbalula said he defended Malema against his ANC expulsion in 2012.
“I went with a ministerial position to defend him at the DC [disciplinary committee] of the ANC and today he says I am about myself. He is an example of someone who is about himself. I stood with him in dark and difficult times. I said to the ANC, ‘Don’t expel this boy’, and they expelled him. I stood with him,” he said.
Mbalula said he was never going to leave the ANC with Malema.
“There are comrades who are flirting with him about our organisation. That is why he thinks he can tell us what to do. A 10% party talks about Union Buildings — he will [only] see them in his dream.
“Malema is the biggest puppet in this country, who represents the interest of those who want to deal with what we call ANC majoritarianism. Malema is not working to be in the Union Buildings; he is working to decrease the majority of the ANC. We know his agenda, that’s what he stands for.”
Malema announced last week that the EFF had made peace with the ANC not to inviting it to the Brics political parties dialogue. When Malema led the ceremonial slaughter of cows donated to the party ahead of its 10th anniversary rally, he was addressing to the media.
“It is not a Brics political parties summit. It is an ANC Brics political summit. Why would we feel bad for not being invited to an ANC meeting? The ANC called its alliance parties and did not invite us,” he said.
“It is well and good. We are not friends. We did not invite them to our rally. It’s fair and square.”
Malema said it would have been an issue if his party was excluded when political parties meet for an official state Brics programme before August.
