Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema during the presentation of his party manifesto on Saturday, February 10, 2024 in Durban, South Africa. Photo: Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg via Getty Images
EEconomic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema won support to govern from people gathered at a community rally in Phoenix, north-west of eThekwini, on Thursday night.
During the meeting, at least five people complained about inadequate service delivery and accused the Democratic Alliance (DA) of failing to provide support.
Some of the meeting attendees claimed that a person with alleged ties to the ANC controlled more than half of the land in Phoenix and asked the EFF to obtain sectional title deeds for their properties. Some people asked for help.
The first speaker said that residents are dealing with a water crisis as they face water supply cut-offs every day. She said attempts were made to contact state legislators who either blocked calls from Phoenix residents or left calls unanswered.
“Our hope for EFF is to see change happen,” said the woman, who said mothers in the area are being forced from their homes every day by “someone who owns 70% of the land.” he added.
“It's a cry that the people of Phoenix need a deed, and I'm sure everyone in this room will say right away we need it. We believe the EFF believes in this land. We know and believe that our Commander-in-Chief is. [Malema] I can promise you that you will provide that for us tonight,” she said.
Residents complained of a health crisis in the region due to a lack of medical workers and clinics.
One Black man said there is a general theory that Phoenix's entire Indian community participated in the massacre of Black people during the riots that rocked the Phoenix area in July 2021.
Approximately 36 people were reported killed in Phoenix during the riots, most of them black, who were said to have been targeted by some residents with racial slurs. During a South African Human Rights Commission investigation into the riots, witnesses said some of the victims were killed by Indian residents who turned vigilante while the town was set on fire.
At Thursday's EFF meeting, a black man repeated the claims of a former chairman who complained about anonymous individuals who allegedly own lots of land and force people to pay rent. Residents claimed this was facilitated by the ANC and called on Malema to give them land rather than empty promises.
Governor Marvin of the Phoenix Tenants and Residents Association said the Special Investigations Unit's report found the government is refusing to release the names of corrupt people who stole land.
Mr Malema said the EFF would fight for the people of Phoenix, adding that the party was no longer in coalition with the ANC in eThekwini municipality. He criticized the government for failing to hire more doctors and said programs were needed to work with communities to make it easier for people studying medicine to find jobs after graduation.
“We should be providing a level of health care that prevents disease, detects it early and educates the public on how to avoid disease, but in South Africa that health care is driven by commercial interests. It's not provided. In primary care, if you get seriously ill, they'll admit you to the hospital and milk you. That's why they say the cured patient has lost a customer.” he said.
Malema added that the EFF wants a one-tier health system owned by the government, which he said would ensure health facilities work for everyone.
“Health is like education, it's not for profit,” he says.
Malema spoke a day after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill. EFF leaders said that current legislation does not allow for the removal of the private health sector from the country, and that the government has outsourced its responsibilities.
“Because the government is the one paying for it and the government is the one profiting from that corruption, we're going to see a surge in fraudulent medical practices that charge patients that don't exist.”
Malema said the DA is a party for white people, reminding him of the infamous election posters he put up on the streets of Phoenix in an attempt to divide blacks and Indians after the 2021 riots.
The DA put up posters reading “The ANC called you racists'' and “The DA called you heroes,'' which drew insults from some.
On Thursday, Malema said the Phoenix killings were not committed by the Indian community collectively, but rather by criminals who should be prosecuted.
“We at EFF never characterized the Phoenix Indians as criminals or as people who committed genocide. We knew they were isolated individuals. Serious. Law enforcement could have caught them,” Malema said.
