EFF Limpopo say no to violence after Julius Malema sentencing

EFF Limpopo Provincial Chairperson, Lawrence Mapoulo, says the party will not resort to violence following the sentencing of its leader, Julius Malema.

The 45-year-old was sentenced to five years’ direct imprisonment by the East London Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Malema’s lawyers have since applied for leave to appeal the magistrate’s decision within minutes of it being read out, which was subsequently granted.

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Speaking to the media next to the High Court in Polokwane after the Judgement, Mapoulo says they will not do what former president Jacob Zuma’s supporters did in 2021.

He was referring to the July 2021 riots that occurred in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces from 9 to 18 July 2021, sparked by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma for contempt of court.

“We are not going to copy the old man [Jacob Zuma] tactics,” Mapoulo told Journalists. 

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“We are led by a young and very energetic leader. We are not going to copy what happened by Zuma. Zuma to us is one of the dompts that we can’t rely on. We know where to hit.”

“Therefore, I am saying. As the EFF here, we are a very highly disciplined organisation. We are protecting this country because if we crush everything in this country, what are we going to have?

“We are certain that we are going to lead this country, so we need infrastructure to remain intact. So that when we take over, we get everything still intact. We are highly disciplined and we are not going to copy what the MKP did. They messed up, and we are not going to mess up. We will only deal with this white supremacy until they go to the real dog which has sent them.”