Malema asks for 5 years to prove EFF can govern
The EFF says its manifesto was shaped and tailored by the residents who told them what they wanted from the government.
"This is not a Malema manifesto, but a people's one, filled with their demands," EFF leader Julius Malema told thousands of supporters attending the party's manifesto launch at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Saturday.
Malema said they had listened to all the issues raised during community meetings and they were going to implement them should they be elected to lead municipalities.
"We have heard what you said. You said you don't want matchbox houses. You said eight million people are unemployed and you want jobs for them. You said you want a corruption-free government. We listened."
Malema said they were not making promises to people, but rather commitments.
He called on South Africans to give the party just five years to see what they could produce and, if they were not happy, remove them.
"We are here to sign a contract with our people. If we don't stick to this contract, kick us out of government.
"We are not asking for 20 years, we just ask for five years. People must stop voting for people that do not stick to the promises made," said Malema.
Bicycle lanes will have to wait
Malema says people living in suburbs should be patient and allow those living in shacks to get houses before things like more bicycle lanes can be built.
"[The] EFF government will not build bicycle lanes as long as people still live in shacks,& Malema told thousands of supporters at Orlando Stadium on Saturday during the launch of the party's election manifesto.
"We want to build houses and roads before bicycle lanes. Let’s get our priorities straight. Let the rich be patient while we give services to the poor."
Malema told the crowd that his party would lead a clean government that would ensure service delivery.
He said the days of cadre deployment were gone. He said they would hire people from Agang SA, like former leader Mamphela Ramphele, who was unemployed.
He added that they would also do away with the legacy of apartheid, including the removal of street names that reminded the country of that history.
"We want the right person for the right job, not because of what party they belong to.
"There will be no name of apartheid agents under the EFF. The streets will be renamed after African heroes. There wont be any symbol that will remind us of the past," said Malema .
Only EFF and ANC matter
Malema says there are only two parties that should contest the elections in South Africa - the ANC and EFF.
"Everyone else is wasting time,& Malema said to loud applause from thousands of supporters at Orlando Stadium in Soweto during the launch of the party's election manifesto.
"We don’t compete against anyone else but the ANC."
Malema said the EFF was already winning, as they had managed to fill Orlando Stadium. He said people were still fighting outside to get in while he was speaking.
"ANC failed to fill Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. We have beaten them. We are contesting against the ANC and no one else. Not any other Mickey Mouse party. Bring it on, we are ready for you. We are not scared of you,& he said to another round of cheers and ululations.
"We are reclaiming the legacy of Winnie Mandela, Robert Sobukwe. The black nation must be proud. This is for the poor people. This is for you, Africa."
Malema said people should accept that they could never defeat the black nation. He maintained that his party was being funded by black people and that no white person was pulling strings in the background.
"This is a party for black people. This is a socialist party that is unstoppable,& said Malema.
Earlier, he took a jab at the DA, mentioning a banner that it had flown over the stadium.
"This is a real banner," he said, in reference to an EFF banner at the stadium, "not that Mickey Mouse banner that was flying here".
While the DA banner was flying above the stadium, an SMS reportedly from the DA was distributed around the country. It read: "EFF wants to bring back violence and chaos. They're too extreme to be trusted to govern SA."
Earlier on Saturday that DA issued a statement calling on Malema to apologise during his manifesto launch for various controversial statements made in the past.
"I today challenge… Malema, to use the opportunity of live coverage to apologise to South Africa as a whole for his radical and hateful statements which have over many years sought to divide South Africa," Democratic Alliance spokesperson Phumzile Van Damme said in a statement.