Zuma too old, Papa Penny a clown: Malema urges KZN voters to ditch MK

EFF leader Julius Malema has called on the youth to draw inspiration from the 1976 student movement and push for solutions to issues such as unemployment, free education and internet access.

Malema was addressing the party’s national Youth Day commemoration at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi, Durban, on Monday.

He said youth unemployment, which stands at 62.4% as per first-quarter statistics, is one of the main problems affecting the current generation and is caused by not having access to land.

“We must not allow a situation where this unemployment continues to exist. We want jobs for the youth now. The youth of today must stop being complainants and say 'we are unemployed'. You must be like the youth of 1976 and stand up and fight these people who are stealing our jobs and land — because without land we will not have jobs.”

He said the EFF has been fighting in parliament for free tertiary education and increased internet connectivity and access. High data prices deprive many South Africans of access to opportunities that require internet connectivity, he said, calling for free Wi-Fi in all public areas.

“Data is expensive in South Africa and we want it to fall because data is information. We use data to access information and look for jobs, so when it is expensive it means you don’t have access to these opportunities. Data must never expire — once you buy it, it must belong to you and you [must be able to] use it as and when you want to.

“We need free Wi-Fi for all public spaces. This is an era of information and technology, we must not be [left] behind.”

However, Malema insisted they will not allow Starlink, known for allowing affordable broadband internet connectivity, to operate in the country until its owner Elon Musk complies with local regulations around B-BBEE ownership of the parent company, SpaceX.

“Elon Musk’s Starlink will never work here in South Africa for as long as the EFF exists and as long as they don’t want to comply with the laws of South Africa. Whether Elon Musk threatens us or not, we are not scared of Trump and Musk.”

EFF youth leader Sihle Lonzi called on the government to introduce a “job-seeking allowance” for the youth who are seeking employment.

“We are calling for a job-seeking allowance for unemployed youth of nothing less than R1,500 every month. If you can prove to government that you’re a young person and looking for a job, you must be paid because creating employment is the job of the government,” he said.

“It is very expensive to look for a job. You must have money to print CVs and [to pay for] taxi fares to and from interviews. Therefore we want to be paid to look for a job in South Africa.”

The EFF also announced that it was already in full campaign mode for next year’s local government elections after suffering losses in the 2024 polls. KZN is one of the provinces where the party lost support, plummeting from 10% to just 2% and reducing its provincial legislature representation. It has also performed poorly in most by-elections, which ultimately led the party to reconfigure its provincial leadership structures last month.

Provincial chairperson Mongezi Twala called the reconfiguration a “necessary revolutionary correction” and said they didn’t see it as punishment but a “political rescue mission” that embraced discipline.

Malema said the party is moving on from the 2024 losses and looking forward to the next elections.

“We cannot continue to mourn about losing the elections last year. That was a lesson — it belongs in the past [and] we must fight now. Stop giving apologies, provincial chair. It is done and we are now fighting forward. No one can defeat people who are determined to achieve their freedom in their lifetime,” he said.

Malema also criticised the performance of the MK Party, considered one of the main reasons for the EFF's downfall, as the official opposition in the province and nationally — and MP Gezani “Papa Penny” Kobane in particular.

“You voted here in KZN for MKP and gave them 45%, but what are they doing with it? They are not doing anything here in KZN. In parliament they have numbers, but they are the most useless people. You must tell them they are useless.

“You tried them and they are not delivering, so don’t make that mistake again of giving [power to] people who go to parliament to represent you and after they speak no one can make sense of what they are saying, like Penny Penny. Whether he speaks English or vernacular, the guy is just a clown who is not supposed to be in parliament. That’s how MK has thanked you, the people of KZN, after you voted [for] them.”

Malema also criticised MK Party leader Jacob Zuma, saying he made promises that he failed to deliver on, adding that he was old and belonged in the past.

“You cannot lose power to an old man and say Zuma is the future. How can the old be the future? We must stop listening to simple lies. The youth at university, you cannot allow to be led by the old. The old must retire and the new must emerge and take over South Africa.”

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