Is trashing local retail outlets your idea of democracy?
No. Peaceful protest is my idea of democracy.
So why didn’t your members peacefully protest at these stores instead of trashing them and intimidating staff and shoppers?
They did exactly that. They protested peacefully and no staff member was intimidated. The opposite happened. Staff were even joining the EFF on site.
What about the store invasions?
The idea was exactly that. To get into the stores, to protest in the stores. As they were doing that unfortunately some mirrors were damaged. But it’s not a train smash.There are such things in a protest.
Judging by the TV footage it looked like a train smash.
It was the most peaceful protest with no looting, no stealing, no nothing.
Why were staff and shoppers so terrified ?
That ’s your imagination. They were not terrified.Why were they running out?
They were joining the EFF outside.
What about threats to burn down the store in Sandton?
People say all types of things at picket lines. That is not the EFF position.
Why are you targeting local H&M stores?
We ’re targeting racism.
How are they guilty of racism?
H&M is an international store. You go to their stores to send a message to their international office. The protest was not targeted at H&M workers or South Africans, it was targeted at H&M.
Won’t they lose their jobs if H&M leaves?
You ’re not going to tell me to tolerate racism in exchange for jobs. What comes first is dignity of my people. If restoring the dignity of my people comes with such consequences, let it be.How will losing their jobs restore their dignity?
If H&M leaves, the people who are not racists will open other shopsand employ South Africans. We are not going to tolerate racism here because we are desperate for jobs.
You may not be desperate for a job, but millions are. Don’t you care about them?
I care about their dignity more than any other thing.
So tackling unemployment is not a priority for you?
It is a priority but it must come with the dignity of our people.
Are you getting desperate because the ANC and Cyril Ramaphosa have stolen your thunder?
Continue saying that, it doesn’t matter to us.
Have they stolen your platform?
No, we’ve always had very radical programmes. Not just becauseRamaphosa is the president. No one has stolen anything from us. We arethe tacticians, we are the strategists.
Zuma will soon go, the ANC have accepted expropriation, free education ... what is left for you?
The EFF is still a topic beyond Zuma. The ANC announced free education but we took action. They announced expropriation without compensation but we are occupying the land. The ANC doesn ’t know how to tackle any of these things. We are doing it...