EFF 'waters the trees of the spirits of the youth of 1976'

EFF leader Julius Malema wants a university campus in every mineral-rich region of the country.

Addressing thousands of youths at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) on Friday, he said: “Wits university was formed by the Oppenheimers ... because of the discovery of gold in Johannesburg. Now that gold has been depleted. Why is there no university in Rustenburg based on platinum discovery? Every university must be relevant to that economy. Today there is a platinum belt. Let’s open a university or another campus. Everywhere there is a mineral, there must be a campus.”

Malema said his party was at the Youth Day event to “water the trees of the spirits of the youth of 1976”.

“We want to make education fashionable. We don’t want you to [think carrying an iPhone is status]. Status should be how many qualifications you have,” he said, adding education should be accessible and free.

“When you are bored you must go and register. No youth must be found loitering on the streets. The EFF is not scared of educated people. It loves educated people. The ANC is scared of the educated.”

The EFF leader also weighed in on the country’s woes, including the electricity crisis, saying they were the result of people not doing their jobs. 

“We are not ready to abandon our coal and replace it with green energy. Our base must be coal as we move closer to green energy. Closing our coal stations is reactionary and unacceptable.

“There is no coal [power station] that would be closed by the EFF. We are going to service all of them and reform them to their former glory. We [are] going to make sure Medupi and Kusile power stations are working.”

Malema cautioned youngsters against using alcohol, saying they had no choice but to liberate themselves by coming out in numbers at next year's elections.

EFF student command president Sihle Lonzi accused the ruling party of turning a blind eye to the plight of young people, saying the 2015 “fees must fall” protests laid bare its disregard for the youth.

“The ANC never sided with the students. Even its ministers proclaimed that students must fall,” he said, urging those in the crowd to take charge of the country by voting for the red berets.

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