From Malema's re-election to renewing the revolution: five takes from the EFF conference

The EFF's second elective conference saw the party dominating news headlines at the weekend, as it announced its new top six and future plans.

The national people’s assembly was held from Friday to Monday at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg.

Here are five takes from the conference:

Julius Malema re-elected as party leader

“My simple thing of being elected and re-elected unopposed every time is very simple: I work very hard. I do not take anything for granted. I pay attention to the smallest detail.

“I am not a dictator. I am a hard worker. I come from nothing, born from a domestic worker who suffered from epilepsy, and I worked my way up here single-handedly, knowing where I come from. So I do not care who thinks what about me.”

Discipline in the EFF

“It is discipline that will make the EFF a viable alternative for the hopeless masses of our people. An alternative that will maintain its protest character while fighting battles within the walls of parliament.

“A fascist organisation will not conduct a democratic elective and policy conference within its own ranks, where members decide on party policy and elect their preferred leaders.”

Renewing the revolutionary mandate

“This journey of renewing our revolutionary mandate and revising our policies is important to ensure that we live forever.

“We are the first organisation in SA that will practically be implementing the unity of African people. Comrades, this meeting is a very historic meeting, because it was conducted in a manner that has never been experienced anywhere in SA.”

No new friends

"[President Cyril] Ramaphosa, I want to tell you now that even if you release Kanya Cekeshe, you are not our friend for what you did to the people of Marikana. You are not our friend because you want to sell the assets of our people.

“And if you want to sell our assets to the Ruperts and the Oppenheimers, we will defend our assets with everything, including our bodies. We will occupy the picket lines in defence of our properties.”

Pain for one, pain for all

“If any of the new officials leave to celebrate, they must know their problems started that day. What are you celebrating? No one won here, the EFF won this conference.

“We should see each other as brothers and sisters who have each others' backs. Why are you celebrating when another comrade didn't meet the threshold? We are building an organisation based on principles of collective leadership, that the pain of my fighter is my pain.”