Redi Tlhabi takes aim at Malema: ‘You’re a 10 percenter on national landscape and 100 percenter on Twitter’

Veteran radio personality Redi Tlhabi has taken aim at EFF leader Julius Malema, saying his value is strong only on social media.

This week Malema hit back at Tlhabi’s criticism of the party’s oversight visits to restaurants in Midrand, Gauteng, where it assessed the employment ratios of South Africans and foreign nationals.

He said the EFF will not be dictated to, especially by someone like Tlhabi.

“You, of all people, will never tell us what to do. We draft our programmes,” he said.

Tlhabi said Malema’s criticism of her was “amusing” and claimed he couldn’t handle her opinion.

“I must confess, I get amused easily. And your tweet amuses me. ‘You can go?’” Tlhabi said.

“Nobody told you what to do, sir. I expressed an opinion and a question. You can handle that? Surely? No? No.”

Tlhabi said restaurant owners and workers should "not crouch in fear".

“Don’t participate in your own abuse. No unauthorised person has a right to demand information. They claim ‘parliamentary oversight’. Even that is governed by rules. Don’t allow bullying,” she said.

Parliamentary spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said MPs were allowed to conduct oversight visits provided they do not threaten anyone and they abide by their code of conduct.

He would not be drawn into commenting directly on the EFF's visit, saying he had no intimate details about it. 

Earlier this week, Malema and a handful of party members and supporters visited Kream, Ponto and Doppio Zero restaurants and said they found these restaurants were complying with hiring policies.

He told journalists the visits will not be a one-off event.

“We will be visiting different institutions from time to time. This is not a one-off thing. We will also visit different institutions, especially where we get tip-offs, in the security industry, hospitality industry and farms,” said Malema.

He reiterated the visits should be not be used to instigate xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals.

“The confrontation should not be with the employees. No foreigner should be a target of assault by any of our people. No person should speak of [wanting] 70% or 90% SA [employees]. That’s the kind of madness we don’t want to hear.

“All we want is a fair representation on the shop floor, and if that’s the case we are more than satisfied because foreigners are at home when they are here,” said Malema.