By Craig Dodds
Pretoria – EFF leader Julius Malema has two conditions for any coalition partnership between his party and would-be suitors: that the deal will “change the life of the African child” and an agreement to “give the people the land”.
With the party currently neatly placed to play the kingmaker role in three metros – Nelson Mandela Bay, Tshwane and Johannesburg, before the final results are in for the latter two – Malema was bombarded with questions at a press conference at the IEC results centre in Pretoria as to what demands the EFF would put on the table in any such talks.
But he denies the party has been approached by any party to form a coalition and says it will not make any such overtures itself.
Doing so as the junior partner will amount to an “uncontrollable desire for power”, Malema says.
He asks why the EFF should “rescue” the ANC or the DA thinks “we must be the ones to promote white arrogance”.
“An African child must benefit from anything else the EFF is going to constitute,” says Malema.
“Why should we be so desperate? If we allow this desperation to go on, some people are going to be given money within the EFF,” Malema says.
He says the EFF sees three options arising from the election results – for the ANC to form a coalition, to “abstain” and remain in opposition, or a rerun of the election in hung councils.
While he agrees with the position expressed by other EFF leaders that it will not go into a coalition with the ANC, he says the party will not refuse to have such a discussion should the ANC approach it.
It would be “childish” to refuse to talk, Malema says. IOL
