Julius Malema on Eusebius McKaiser's show on talk radio 702 in 2017. Picture: Screenshot.
702 and Cape Talk host Eusebius McKaiser had harsh words for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and their leader, Julius Malema, after the party reportedly cancelled a radio interview scheduled to take place on Wednesday morning.
According to McKaiser, the interview was confirmed in correspondence between a communications manager from the EFF and his show’s producer.
The EFF tweeted from their official account that the party “notes” the advertised interview, but had “communicated with the producers at Radio 702, prior to the advert being circulated, that the CIC will not be available due to the schedule in Cape Town ahead of the Sona”.
McKaiser went ahead with a show about the EFF’s new manifesto without Malema, talking to analysts, and at the beginning of the show made his opinion of the party and the manifesto clear.
He slammed the party’s new manifesto as “bullshit”.
According to prominent EFF supporter Sentletse Diakanyo, who owns local furniture company Sinuous Lines Design, McKaiser also called the EFF “big-headed” and “unprofessional”, adding that Malema had “run for the hills” to avoid difficult questions on the show.
He described McKaiser’s take-down of the EFF and their manifesto as a “meltdown”.
McKaiser divided opinion on Twitter. EFF supports were, unsurprisingly, quick to defend Malema for what they felt was a reasonable cancellation and slate McKaiser for his reaction.
Criticism did not only come from EFF supporters, however, with Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi taking exception to McKaiser’s assertion on Twitter, following the cancellation, that “politicians are politicians are politicians”.
“But really @Eusebius, now we must all be painted because someone declined your interview. With this generalisation, who will be keen to be a politician in future?” Lesufi replied.
Others took Eusebius’ side, agreeing that Malema’s cancellation was probably a sign of the leader of the red berets running scared.
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