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“We are eating this elephant called the ANC bit by bit.”
This was said by the EFF leader Julius Malema in his short message of support at the fourth commemoration of the Marikana Massacre held on the same grounds where 34 miners were shot dead by the police in August 2012.
Malema could have hinted something when he added that the ANC, which is still in coalition negotiations with smaller parties in a bid to gain enough seats to govern Rustenburg, would never succeed.
“I hear people say Jesus has arrived in PE [Port Elizabeth, which was won by the Democratic Alliance], no; Jesus has arrived also in Rustenburg. No matter what happens this municipality will never fall in the hands of the ANC ... this municipality will be in the hands of the people.”
The ANC needs two seats from smaller parties to make 45 seats, which would enable them to retain the Rustenburg municipality. The EFF won 24 seats and DA 14.
The two parties would still need the support of smaller parties such as the Forum 4 Service Delivery, African Independent Congress, United Democratic Movement and Freedom Plus to beat the ANC in the race to control the platinum-rich municipality.
Malema’s EFF has won two wards in Marikana but only one falls under Rustenburg municipality. The other, which covers the 2012 tragic grounds, was part of Madibeng municipality in Brits.
As he delivered his message of support, Malema had a local EFF ward councillor Wendy Pretorius standing next to him, and introduced her to the community.
“This ward belongs to the EFF ... Marikana is the home of the EFF. We don’t relate with you because it is fashionable to do so, we’ve always been with you,” he said.
“Thank you for voting EFF. We will ensure that you get houses, water, get the Rustenburg municipality to pave roads for you, and [will see to it] that people get jobs.”
The ANC also found itself under attack from the DA leader, Mmusi Maimane, who called for President Jacob Zuma to come and apologise in Marikana and “pay back the money”.
He added that there would be no freedom until this had happened, and said Marikana victims must be compensated by the government.
“Jesus has come back in PE, he must come back in Rustenburg as well” so there can be service delivery that can “restore miners’ dignity”, he said.
