EFF leader Julius Malema says that if president Jacob Zuma wants to be president of the ANC for a third term, he will, because the party is afraid of him.

He also said that he has worked with Zuma in the past – as ANC Youth League leader – and knows him to be “very limited, intellectually.”

Malema was speaking at a panel discussion at the Daily Maverick’s The Gathering, which this year is focusing on the 2016 municipal elections, with prominent politicians taking part, including Malema; DA leader Mmusi Maimane, Zwelenzima Vavi, and finance minister Pravin Gordhan.

In his address, Malema pointed out that state-owned companies used to do very well “before Zuma and his cronies” destroyed them.

“It’s not about the state being inherently incompetent. It’s about corruption which is undermining the good efforts of the state. Because they deploy cronies and cadres who know nothing about (running them),” Malema said.

“Look at what Zuma’s girlfriend (Dudu Myeni) is doing to SAA,” he said. “It has degenerated to the extreme.”

Malema said that the ANC can’t rule on Jacob Zuma’s corruption, because they are all corrupt.

The EFF leader pointed to the Gupta saga, in which the family is accused of capturing the state, saying that no one in the ANC would dare to point to the president being implicated, even though they knew he was being paid “millions in cash”.

“The ANC stopped the Gupta investigation because Zuma said so. He told the Gauteng ANC that the state is the judiciary, the executive and the legislative – ‘so are you saying they have captured the judiciary?'”

“No one dares to challenge him and say ‘they’ve captured YOU’, and you are head of the state – so when they’ve captured the head of the state, they’ve captured the state,” Malema said.

“Zuma speaks like he’s got a point, but I’ve worked with him , so I know – he’s extremely limited, intellectually. So I know how he does things when he runs out of reason.”

“For as long as Zuma is the president, corruption will never stop,” Malema said.

Taking on white capital

In his address, Malema reiterated his party’s stance on breaking up white capital, and serving the needs of the South African population. He said that the municipalities have the full capability to do what is needed, but they are lazy.

As an example, Malema said that government had spent money to develop parks in communities, and paid workers for their upkeep. But he pointed out that the parks were not being used – the communities did not need them.

“Instead of this park, build a clinic that will operate for 24 hours, and instead of paying these workers to clean the park, pay workers at the clinic. This is what the community needs,” Malema said.

He added: “When they ask where will the money come from – when they ask where will you get money for Alexandra. People of Sandton, no more bicycle lanes – we will take the money and use it for Alexandra.”

Malema said this would make white people angry, and “they will fight”.

“I want them to fight, because that anger will bring them into the discussion, and I will address them. I will make them know that as South Africans we all have a responsibility to work together, to contribute,” Malema said.

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