Photo: Economic Freedom Fighters.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema hugged it out in Lesotho today, much to either the delight or ire of South Africans.
South Africans weren’t exactly sure what to make of this exchange.
Both politicians attended the inauguration of Lesotho’s newly elected Prime Minister, Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane, in Maseru on Friday.
One person said Malema was specifically focusing on Ramaphosa’s facial features: “When they come back home, he will be on top of him”.
Earlier this week, while addressing delegates at the 3rd Provincial People’s Assembly of the EFF in KwaZulu-Natal, Malema remarked on Ramaphosa’s “big nose”.
Malema said, “That one with the big nose is only [at King Misuzulu’s ceremony on Saturday] for the certificate, it is possible that he is the one trying to divide the royal family”.
Malema also said the president “must not be allowed to speak”, as it is a Royal Family matter, and not an ANC conference.
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He added: “[The coronation] is not for big nose with dollars under the mattress”.
While one person said the greeting was “an act of hypocrisy, another added: “Politics are not personal, chief”.
Another believes the EFF is the ANCYL rebranded, while one Twitter user said: “Political maturity, EFF leads in that approach”.
Addressing attendees at the event, Ramaphosa congratulated the prime minister and reflected on the ties between Lesotho and South Africa.
“For many, [Lesotho] became a place of refuge and safety… We acknowledge with gratitude the solidarity and the hospitality of the Basotho.”
“We, therefore, welcome the commitment of the incoming government to give priority to the finalisation of this important work,” Ramaphosa concluded.
