Malema takes conciliatory tone during Phoenix visit

AMID fears that yesterday’s visit by EFF leader Julius Malema to monitor the voter registration process in Phoenix, Durban, was going to add fuel to the fire in a suburb that is already tense following killings that claimed 36 lives, the firebrand leader struck a conciliatory tone.

Arriving at Phoenix’s Swanvale Primary School, after midday, Malema was ushered into the registration hall by the party’s secretary-general, Marshall Dlamini and the local leadership.

On his way to the hall, Malema could be heard preaching peace and racial harmony, having a light chat with one of the unidentified local leaders of the EFF who is of Indian ancestry.

He repeatedly told the local leader that the July killing of 36 people by vigilante groups under the guise of protecting their homes and businesses, amid the unrest and looting, should be condemned.

Malema insisted that not all residents of Phoenix took part in the murders, and that those who took part in it should be isolated and prosecuted.

When Malema spoke to the media outside the school, he addressed a range of issues, such as his party’s readiness for the elections and the Covid-19 lockdown regulations, which he claimed were being used by President Cyril Ramaphosa to shield himself from accountability.

Malema said Phoenix was home to every South African, irrespective of race, and said it is also the home of the EFF. He scoffed at widespread accusations on several Phoenix social media groups that he chose the suburb just to stoke tensions.

“I don’t want tensions. I want peace. Those who don’t want peace are enemies of the EFF ,” Malema told the media.