Malema's vulgar 'Trumpism' undermines democracy: Zizi Kodwa
Image: Masi Losi
The ANC on Friday accused the EFF of "Trumpism" after the red berets this week launched a public attack against public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan and members of the commission of inquiry into state capture.
Speaking at a media briefing outside the commission’s venue in Parktown on Friday, the party’s head of presidency, Zizi Kodwa, accused the EFF of racial polarisation.
Kodwa also condemned his party’s own members who have spoken out against the work of the commission.
"We want this commission to unearth the rot of corruption … We are aware that in the past few days there has been a despicable campaigns led by other organisations, the EFF on one hand, and the DA, to discredit some of the work done by this commission …
"We have seen the attack against Pravin Gordhan which is not just about him; but using his testimony to attack the integrity of this commission," Kodwa said.
"We think this is an element of what we call Trumpism and Trumpism in the main thrives on three elements fear, hate (but also on racial polarisation), insults and vulgarity. We must unite all South Africans, black and white, to defeat the demon of Trumpism because if we allow Trumpism to thrive it will undermine democracy.
"It's a deliberate, orchestrated decoy - politics of destruction and deflection. It aims to deflect attention from these political parties who are themselves facing serious problems."
At a demonstration outside the commission on Wednesday, Malema said among other things that Gordhan was a "dog of white monopoly capital" and labeled the commission’s evidence leader, Paul Pretorius, a "bastard".
He described the commission as "Mickey Mouse".
Along with members of the EFF, senior ANC leaders like Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina and Eastern Cape party heavyweight Andile Lungisa have also taken jabs at the commission on social media.
"We have noted that there has been extreme ill discipline by some members of the ANC to the extent that the deputy secretary-general (Jessie Duarte) made an effort to speak to some of them. We want to condemn them," Kodwa said about the party’s own members.