By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Malema was speaking during the Siyabonga rally held at Seshego in Polokwane, Limpopo on Saturday to celebrate the outcome of the by-election that took place in July.
The party retained the ward by 57%, while the African National Congress (ANC) garnered 39%.
Malema says government is aware of various challenges facing communities in the country, yet millions were wasted on the National Dialogue.
The National Dialogue has been described by the Presidency as a call to action for citizens to lead an inclusive dialogue on the challenges facing the country.
“We don’t support this convention. We don’t support the national dialogue. We know the demands of our people. We cannot spend R700 million of the money that we don’t have, EFF leader said.”
The crux of the convention was a series of nine themed plenary sessions with titles that read like a litany of South Africa’s challenges, including “Crime and Corruption”, “Fixing the State and making the Constitution Work” and “Poverty and Inequality”.
On paper, the roadmap is straightforward: six to eight months of ward and sector dialogues, a steering committee to standardise processes and publish summaries, and a second convention in early 2026 to consolidate outcomes.
The promise is that the venues will be modest – school halls, churches, community centres – and the process citizen- rather than podium-led. The measure will be in what is counted and made public, not what is proclaimed from the lectern.
Malema also sent out condolences to the widows and the children of those in the Marikana massacre.
Today is the 13th anniversary of the massacre at the Lonmin platinum mine near Rustenburg, in the North West.
The Marikana massacre happened on 16 August 2012 when police opened fire on striking workers at the Lonmin Platinum mine, now owned by Sibanye-Stillwater, in the North West province.
Mineworkers were demanding better wages. But the protest ended in bloodshed when police gunned down 34 of them in front of live cameras.
Malema attacked President Cyril Ramaphosa for failing to deliver justice.
“It is not surprising that the ANC has refused to bring justice to the families of the victims,” said Malema. “There have been no prosecutions or change to the mining sector that continues to enrich a few at the expense of the many.”
In 2022, the Gauteng High Court ruled that Ramaphosa did not carry legal responsibility for the killings. But Malema insists the workers died in vain because their demands remain unmet and their killers remain free.