EFF leader challenges Ramaphosa's SONA, endorses SANDF's role in crime fighting
EFF leader Julius Malema has welcomed the deployment of the SANDF in Gauteng and the Western Cape to crime.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers
In a bold response to the ongoing crime crisis, EFF leader Julius Malema has welcomed the deployment of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) to curb crime. However, he did not hold back in criticising President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), labelling it a mere display of enthusiasm devoid of tangible results.
Malema said the president’s 10th SONA in Cape Town on Thursday evening offered nothing new.
“Today the difference is that he is saying them with energy,” Malema said.
“Why talk about trillions for water when billions spent on previous projects like Giyani didn’t bring water to our people? Promises don’t quench thirst or feed the hungry,” he said.
Ramaphosa’s SONA outlined plans to strengthen national oversight of basic services, particularly the water crisis.
“We will now elevate our response to the water crisis to a National Water Crisis Committee, which I will chair.
“It will bring together all existing efforts into a single coordinating body, deploying technical experts and resources to municipalities facing water challenges. We will act swiftly, using constitutional powers where necessary,” he said.
EFF leader Julius Malema has welcomed the deployment of the SANDF in Gauteng and the Western Cape to crime.
Image: Ian, Landsberg, Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers
Malema dismissed the initiative as more bureaucratic layering than problem-solving. “Task team after task team is a way to shift responsibility,” he said.
“It confirms that the GNU lacks the capacity to execute its own responsibilities. Once again, we are listening to a man using a government platform during an election year to campaign for his party.”
The EFF leader also highlighted the human toll behind the numbers.
With unemployment at 40% among young people, he argued, “He can’t be proud that he’s giving some money now. We saw this during COVID: temporary handouts, no sustainable jobs, no infrastructure. Where are these projects? Our people are waiting.”
Despite his sharp criticism of the president, Malema voiced support for the SANDF’s role in addressing the country’s violent crime wave.
“We welcome the deployment,” he said.
Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.
Cape Argus