President Mugabe was ‘a perfect human being’ – Malema

The reason for his perfection was that he made mistakes, the EFF leader said in a video.

EFF leader Julius Malema is seen addressing his supporters outside the North Gauteng High Court after the matter between Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, 23 July 2019, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles

In a video shared on the official Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Twitter account, party leader Julius Malema speaks about the legacy of founding president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, who passed away on Friday morning.

The clip sees Malema refuting the negative aspects or Mugabe’s legacy and saying he was not a “hero turned villain”.

“He was never a villain, he won election after election,” Malema said. Several elections which saw Mugabe retain power were disputed, with the European Union (EU) finding the 2000 elections to be “neither free nor fair“.

The EFF leader, however, expressed the view that Mugabe redeemed himself when he was removed by his own party last year.

“We have always said the solution to the problems of Zim would come from Zim itself,” he said.

Malema says he can have a pool and still be a revolutionary

“He did not leave the office of the president through a coffin, he went on retirement,” the EFF leader continued. He was actually removed against his will following a struggle within his own party.

Malema also said that Zanu-PF’s subsequent victory helps vindicate the late leader.

“Even after he stepped down, the people of Zimbabwe still elected his party. What does it mean? It means that the people of Zimbabwe still have confidence in the party that he led,” Malema said.

In the video clip, Malema goes on to call Mugabe a “perfect human being”.

“What makes President Mugabe a perfect human being is because as human beings we make mistakes. It doesn’t make you a less of hero because of the things you did during the course of conducting a revolution,” Malema claimed.

He also offered his take on the 2008 election which resulted in power-sharing with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), denying that Mugabe refused to accept defeat.

“President Mugabe did not dispute that Tsvangirai had more votes but did not meet the constitutional threshold, and that is why there was a government of national unity that was established,” Malema said.

The EFF leader also denied that Zimbabweans come to South Africa due to the country’s desperate situation.

“People come here for economic opportunities. It is incorrect to say the people of Zimbabwe came here because they are running away from Mugabe. All of us accept that there are challenges in Zimbabwe, as there are with other African states,” Malema said.

“What can we learn from Mugabe? We must remain loyal to our own policies. We must remain principled until the grave. History will absolve Mugabe.

“He will be remembered as hero because he never compromised the fundamental principles. It is because of him that the indigenous people are now owning.

“Fellow Africans, that generation is leaving now, we owe it to them to continue the good fight and to protect the legacy because it is that legacy which must inspire generations to come. Let us celebrate him as a hero.

“We want to send our heartfelt condolences. We say to the people of Zimbabwe you are not alone, he was not just a country’s hero, he was the continent’s hero. He played his role and inspired confidence to many people in the continent and in the diaspora,” Malema concluded.

The video can be watched here.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.