Juju sees red in Auckland Park
AUCKLAND PARK – EFF leader Julius Malema didn't hold back as he told SABC’s acting COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng exactly what he thinks of him during the EFF march on 29 April.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema hurled all sorts of insults at the SABC’s acting chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng during the party’s march to the public broadcaster’s headquarters on 29 April.
EFF members gathered in their numbers and took a break from their usual weekday activities to march over their banned election advert, which the SABC interpreted as incitement of violence.
Addressing a massive crowd made up of EFF members, Motsoeneng and SABC acting chief executive Tian Olivier, Malema said the march was actually on Motsoeneng and not the SABC.
Malema made sure this point was communicated across as his entire address was about how underqualified Motsoeneng is.
“Mr Hlaudi, we recognise prior learning. It doesn’t mean we don’t recognise your experience but your conduct makes us forget that you’ve got the necessary experience. Your conduct only reminds us of your academic qualifications,” Malema said.
“If you conduct yourself professionally and like a person who knows what he is doing, no one will give a damn about your qualifications because you’ll be using your acquired experience and your years in the SABC to make it grow and become a better institution.”
Malema said the majority of the crowd was more qualified than Motsoeneng, whose academic qualifications match those of President Jacob Zuma.
“That’s why we have to take them out of the offices and rather hire them to sweep streets and patch potholes [through the Expanded Public Works Programme] because they don’t qualify to sit in these offices.”
He told the crowd that he was not insulting Hlaudi, but merely stating facts regarding his highest qualification – Standard 2 (Grade 4).
Taking a break from spewing fire on Hlaudi, Malema went back to the actual reason his party marched on the public broadcaster and explained the contested slogan “destroy e-tolls physically”.
He accused the SABC of undermining the intelligence of EFF members, who were not intent on destroying state property unlawfully.
“Our people know very well when we say we will destroy e-tolls physically it means that after taking over government we will have a ceremony to remove e-tolls. We can’t remove them emotionally. That is removing them physically.”
“When we take over this government we are going to destroy the e-tolls because [they] represent undemocratic process. They were imposed on our people without proper consultation. E-tolls, like all the statues of apartheid, will be removed.”
Malema admitted to being President Zuma’s puppet in the past and made it a point to warn Hlaudi of impending disaster.
“Let me warn you, I was like you, next to Zuma. I used to protect Zuma the same way you’re doing and I must tell you, Zuma is going to dump you like a used condom. I must warn you that Zuma is going to flush you like used toilet paper.”
And then he pulled out the race card.
“We are here to say to you, if you are not going to conduct yourself in a manner befitting of an African brother in an executive position, you must resign with immediate effect.”
Olivier said the SABC would review the memorandum handed over by Malema.
Whether Malema’s heartfelt speech and kind words will soften the hearts of the decision makers, remains to be seen.
