ANALYSIS: Malema's race bashing a sign EFF struggling for a purpose after election loss

Economic Freedom Fighters Leader Julius Malema’s rants about white people signify the party’s desperate attempt to remain relevant after failing to win one municipality when their party was put to the vote‚ political analysts said on Friday.

Malema has become increasingly strident about race‚ making a host of utterances about white people at most of the party’s public gatherings‚ most recently at memorial for Cuba's Fidel Castro on Thursday afternoon‚ where he proclaimed‚ "We are poor because of whites‚ we don't have jobs because of whites‚ we are dying of sicknesses because of whites!"

Zamikhaya Maseti‚ managing director of Ngubengcuka Research Policy Strategy and Advisory Consulting‚ said that after failing to win one municipality in the August local government elections‚ the EFF has no clear programme of action.

He warned the EFF leader that his current approach could back-fire.

“The problem is they do not have a clear programme of action. Malema is trying to undermine (former president Nelson) Mandela’s reconciliation legacy (with his anti-white statements).

“[Malema’s utterances] are a continuation of undermining that nation building project.”

Maseti said Malema was denting the image of his party‚ which initially had a potential of succeeding.

“It’s now becoming something else.”

He said the EFF will not be relevant when President Jacob Zuma steps down.

“Zuma is their rallying point. When Zuma goes‚ they won’t be relevant‚" Maseti said.

“This is how they want to maintain their relevance‚” said another political analyst‚ Ralph Mathekga‚ of the Clear Content consultancy.

Mathekga also said the EFF was faced with a challenge of satisfying its constituency following its loss in the local government elections.

“They are compensating for the poor performance in the local government elections and they want to be relevant.”

If the EFF had won some ground in the municipal elections‚ "it would have been more practical in its approach to politics‚" Mathekga said.

“…Voters are seeing that what they are promising is far from reality.

“ They are in parliament. They are supposed to be raising issues in a dignified manner‚” Mathekga added.