EFF leader Julius Malema has taken a swipe at Patriotic Alliance (PA) leaders Gayton McKenzie and Kenny Kunene, calling them “mabantiti” (convicts).

Speaking during a press briefing after the EFF's central command team meeting, Malema said ex-convicts McKenzie and Kunene “were elected in daylight” to create a crisis in the coalition government in Johannesburg. 

“Our people even elected mabantiti (convicts) to go into the council. Ex-convicts were elected in daylight. That bantiti (Kunene), once he is elected to be in council, he meets the requirement of being a mayor. That's why that ex-prisoner is an acting mayor (of Johannesburg) because he qualifies. Once he qualifies to be a counsellor, he qualifies to be an acting mayor or even a full mayor,” said Malema. 

“The other ex-prisoner (McKenzie) was the mayor in a small town. He thought he was going to be a celebrity [until] he realised the distance was too much. He resigned and came back and then when he comes back he wants to disrupt Kenny. He thought being a mayor was child's play.”

Malema admitted the PA was the kingmaker in the coalition government in Johannesburg, saying political parties can't do anything without them. 

“You have given us ex-prisoners. In Johannesburg, it's worse because you cannot do anything without those ex-prisoners. But to show the hypocrisy of South Africans, when the ex-convicts work with the DA you don't say: 'Ex-convicts this, ex-convicts that.' 

“You only remind us of them when they come to work with us but when they work with DA no-one says: 'Why is DA working with the ex-convicts?' No EFF went to Sun City to go and fetch a prisoner and made it a counsellor and acting mayor, it is the people of Johannesburg who took ex-convicts and elected them into council,” Malema said. 

Kunene said he would not stoop to Malema's level of insults and name-calling. 

“I have unlearned the politics of insults and name-calling. We are trying to establish a new brand of politics called 'real-time delivery'. We cannot change our past, Julius Malema, but we can bring change now. A change that is hurting old politicians. We are busy,” he said. 

Speaking on 702, Kunene said: “I went to prison. I committed crimes. I was a gangster. I came back and South Africans embraced me. 

“They forgave me, except for the haters who want to use my past for their own selfish and negative agendas.” 

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