IN QUOTES | Julius Malema on closing airports, EFF 'exodus' & THAT Christmas party

EFF leader Julius Malema says the government should not have closed the land ports of entry to countries like Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

Addressing his first media briefing this year, Malema on Thursday lashed out at President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ruling party for their “hatred of fellow Africans”.

Earlier this week, Ramaphosa said the cabinet had decided to close 20 land borders as one of the measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

“Cabinet has decided the 20 land ports of entry that are now open will be closed until February 15 for general entry and departure. These include the six busiest border posts which are Beitbridge, Lebombo, Maseru Bridge, Oshoek, Ficksburg and Kopfontein,” said the president.

Malema said the government should have closed the airports instead.

Here are five explosive quotes from his briefing:

Close the airports, not the borders 

“The disease did not come through Zimbabwe or Lesotho. It came from Italy. It is white people who brought the disease here and when we said to this government, quarantine these people, isolate them, through a forceful isolation, they didn't isolate them because they were white. Today, we have this big problem.”

If you hate Africans, don't bother voting EFF 

“If you are leaving EFF because EFF is fighting for blacks in Africa, the gate is open. You were never with us. We are with Africans. Anyone who joins us and hates Africans, you are in a wrong home. Leave EFF. If you voted for us, yet you hate Africans, take your vote to self-hate organisations like the ANC which has closed borders on Africans.”

Africa needs young leadership

“It is the young leadership which will come with innovative methods and measures to develop this continent, including the production of drugs, ventilating machines, oxygen machines and masks. We cannot produce the simplest thing called a mask when we all know it is in high demand.”

What the hell is a 666 vaccine?

“We are not talking about producing our own vaccine and as a result we have given room to these conspiracy theories. Perhaps if we were producing our own vaccine, we wouldn’t hear some unfounded stories like 666 vaccines. Where have you ever heard such madness? There’s no such vaccine.”

And that family party?

“I was at home with family. That's what Christmas is about and that's what even level 3 lockdown is about, it says be with family. My family is not the size of Van der Merwe and my family is not going to be defined by how whites define family. I've got a very big family.”