By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president Julius Malema addressed party supporters at Peter Mokaba stadium during the party’s Tshela Thupa rally ahead of Wednesday’s elections.
Limpopo is significant to the party because this is the home province of the Malema.
Not too far from the stadium is Seshego, where Malema grew up.
Over the past several days, the party has donated an administration block to a high school in Seshego and donated a newly built home to an elderly couple, among other activities.
Addressing the crowd, Malema said he was committed to bring change in the country and he will first start by fighting corruption rooted in the political system.
“When we take over, we are going to re-open Phala Phala. We told you that the President Cyril Ramaphosa has dollars under his mattress and his sofas and you said we are lying. But the president himself said he’s going to pay back the dollars…You see, we’ve exposed a thief who sleeps under dollars,” he said to a cheering crowd.
Malema said the party is still committed to delivering land and jobs to the masses.
We have heard our people, they need land and jobs and that’s what we aim to deliver. Our people have been told that they were freed in 1994 but they were not freed from economical and financial racism.
“When you are black and apply for a house or car, they give you high interest rate, we want to deal with such things,” he said.
Malema added that if elected, he will do everything in his power to bring economic freedom.
“After my inauguration, I will increase grants for all grandparents to more than R4,000 per month. I will increase the child support grant to R1,200 per month.
“After my inauguration, I will form a highly skilled team to solve the water crisis facing our communities. We will improve all the health facilities and make sure that all clinics are open 24-hours everyday, “he said.
He added that education will be free and all institutions will be equipped with Free WiFi.
The red beret leader further said that under his leadership, the country will be crime free.
“We will make sure we fight crime in South Africa by declaring war against criminals and rapists. South Africa shall be a place of peace and a place of law and order.”
Regarding opening borders, Malema rubbished reports that once in power, he will allow illegal immigrants to come to South Africa.
He made it clear that he wants to unite Africa but this will not be done immediately, but its something the party will work on gradually.
“There will not be an illegal immigration in South Africa, there won’t be a person without documents. Everyone in South Africa will be documented… We are committed to Pan- Africanism, we are committed to national integration but that doesn’t mean we encourage illegal and undocumented immigration,” he said.
Meanwhile Build One SA (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane said late President Nelson Mandela would have voted for the party if he was still alive.
Several political parties including Bosa wrapped up their election campaigns over the weekend ahead of the national and provincial elections on 29 May.
Bosa held its Jikizinto rally at the Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Maimane told Bosa supporters that Mandela’s vision of South Africa had found a new home in Bosa.
This rally, this moment is us taking that freedom to be free to free us from liberators who want to send us backwards and we are here to say to them if Nelson Mandela was around today, he would be voting for Bosa, for the vision of a South Africa that works for all the people sit in this room with all the people in this country.”
Maimane told party supporters that if they want him as president of the country, they must vote for Bosa and not vote for their fears.
Elsewhere the Umkhonto weSizwe Party said it has no doubt of obtaining a two-third majority victory in the upcoming national and provincial elections on Wednesday.
The party took its election trail to Hammarsdale, west of Durban. The area is an African National Congress (ANC) stronghold. During the late 80s and early 90s it experienced political violence that saw scores of people being killed in clashes between the ANC and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
With just a few days before the country’s seventh general election, MK Party supporters in Hammarsdale came out in their numbers to the rally.
MK Party Senior leader Visvin Reddy said, “President Jacob Zuma will remain the face and the president of Umkhonto Wesizwe. He is the force behind this party. He drives this political party, he drives this movement. So that decision by the captured court does not bother us. We are going for the two thirds majority, it on the horizon Wednesday it’s going to happen.”
The MK party is expected to wrap up its election rally in the Mpumalanga Province on Sunday.