Julius Malema Slams Helen Zille Over Apartheid Past and Campaign Stunts
- EFF leader Julius Malema slammed Helen Zille during an SABC News interview, challenging her anti-apartheid credentials
- Malema accused the media of celebrating Zille's BMW stunts while ignoring the community work of EFF's Joburg mayoral candidate Tlaleng Mofokeng
- His remarks come ahead of South Africa's 4 November 2026 municipal elections, with Johannesburg a key battleground
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SOUTH AFRICA - EFF leader Julius Malema launched another attack on DA mayoral candidate Helen Zille.
During an SABC News interview, Malema questioned her anti-apartheid credentials and accused her of using race to attract media attention.
Malema rejects Zille's activism credentials
According to NewsDay, Malema rejected Zille's long-standing claims of having fought against apartheid, drawing a sharp distinction between journalism and activism. Zille's record includes her 1977 investigation into the death of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko while working at the Rand Daily Mail, where her reporting exposed that Biko had been assaulted by security police in detention. She also worked with pro-democracy organisation Black Sash in the 1980s.
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Despite this history, Malema was dismissive.
"Helen Zille has a history of racism. She's not a revolutionary. She likes saying she fought in the struggle. She didn't fight," he said.
He further said that Zille covering and breaking the story of Steve Biko's death did not make her revolutionary.
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Malema targets Zille's campaign stunts
Malema also turned his attention to Zille's recent campaign activities, criticising the attention she received for arriving at a DA rally at the Nasrec Expo Centre in an open-top BMW and for a campaign video in which she spun a BMW 325i.
Malema contrasted this with the approach of the EFF's Johannesburg mayoral candidate, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, whom he described as more deserving of coverage for her grassroots work, including helping low-income residents grow vegetables and teaching communities how to use the land productively.
"The media is celebrating a person who spins BMWs, and then you think that thing has got anything to do with improving the lives of our people?" he said.
Malema argued that the media's enthusiasm for Zille's stunts, including her attempts to perform Brenda Fassie songs, was driven by the fact that she is white, and that black politicians carrying out similar activities would receive far less coverage.
He also accused Zille of opposing the EFF because the party could not be controlled by white people, insisting that any potential coalition between the two parties would be approached on equal terms.
Malema wants DA out if the GNU
Briefly News also reported that Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema indicated his party's openness to joining the Government of National Unity, but only if the Democratic Alliance and Freedom Front Plus first exited the arrangement. Malema made the remarks over the weekend during a door-to-door campaign in Naledi, Soweto, as parties intensify efforts ahead of the 4 November Local Government Elections.
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Source: Briefly News
