By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) joined millions of South Africans in reflecting on 31 years since the democratic breakthrough on 27 April 1994.
EFF leader Julius Malema delivered the keynote address at the Freedom Day rally in Bradford, Free State.
Malema opened his address by emphasising the symbolic importance of the rally location: “Today, we gather on sacred ground on an important day in our nation’s history. On this so-called Freedom Day and we are in a place of deep pain, resistance, and unbreakable courage, which was home to the mother of our revolution.”
He paid tribute to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who was forcibly relocated to Brandfort by the apartheid regime between 1977 to 1986.
Malema questioned the meaning of freedom when basic services remain inaccessible to many South Africans: “Why do we claim freedom, when here in Brandfort, you do not have reliable water and electricity?
“Why do we claim we are free, when our children are unemployed and have surrendered themselves to alcohol and drug abuse?”
A significant portion of Malema’s speech addressed South Africa’s ongoing budget crisis, which he described as unprecedented.
“The most critical thing facing all of us as a nation today is that South Africa does not have a budget. Nowhere in the history of the world has a country been able to operate without a budget,” Malema stated.
He criticised Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s handling of the Value Added Tax (VAT) increase and reversal, claiming the minister demonstrated “shocking ignorance of parliamentary processes.”
Malema called for Godongwana’s resignation, saying: “He has become a disgrace and is clearly incapable of leading that ministry or being in charge of our financial future as a country.”
Malema extended condolences for the recent passing of Pope Francis, praising the pontiff for his stance against poverty and his support for Palestine.
He expressed support for Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traoré, describing him as embodying “the awakening of African self-determination”, while condemning what he described as U.S. efforts to destabilize the West African nation.
The EFF leader also addressed conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Western Sahara, calling for greater intervention from the African Union.