Umm Muhammed Umar

EFF leader Julius Malema is inflexible regarding observing the Covid-19 regulations at public gatherings while campaigning for the local government elections. He is adamant that his party will do no such thing.

There were reportedly more than 15 000 people who attended the launch of the EFF’s manifesto at Gandhi Square, Johannesburg, on Sunday.

IOL News reports that the DA wants the Electoral Commission, as well as Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, to act against the EFF contravening the National Disaster Management Act. According to the Act, only 500 is the maximum number of people allowed to gather in public and outdoors, under lockdown level 5. IOL reports that the DA had served the IEC with a notice of illegal campaigning, unlawful electoral behaviour and the criminal violation of gathering rules against the EFF.

Reacting to the DA having laid a formal complaint with the IEC, Malema questioned why ‘accusations’ had not been made against the ANC, by the DA. He said: “(President) Cyril (Ramaphosa) had a campaign in Soweto and a lot of people attended it. He also had a campaign in Tembisa yesterday and more people attended there, too. Why are these rules only for the EFF?” He added, “We made it known long ago that we are not going to observe these regulations.”

DA chief whip Natasha Mazzone said, “In our estimation, the only logical sanction to the EFF is to disqualify them from contesting this election.” She said that the EFF’s manifesto launch had been a super-spreader. Mazzone added that for the IEC to conduct an investigation was pointless “as the images and videos from the EFF’s event clearly demonstrates them violating lockdown regulations such as mask-wearing, social distancing and the 500 legal limit for outdoor gatherings.”

Mazzone said that the IEC must hold the EFF accountable by disqualifying them from participating in the upcoming elections, and that there could not be one set of rules for one political party and another for the others.