EFF Deputy President Floyd Shivambu and party leader Julius Malema. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency (ANA) Archives
EFF leader Julius Malema has told those who conspire against him that they must not do so behind his back, as he is ruthless when he fights back.
In a long speech delivered on Thursday during the party’s 10th-anniversary gala dinner in Johannesburg, Malema said when he is told to leave the stage, he will easily do so.
Although he said it with a smile, Malema told his deputy, Floyd Shivambu that although they are brothers in arms, he must not conspire against him as he will eventually get to know about it.
Before saying that, Malema said Shivambu is a great thinker who is dedicated to writing and has great ideas and he consults with others.
He also said Shivambu is a great believer in God, then warned him not to conspire against him in dark corners.
Furthermore, Malema said they complement each other and they are not in competition at all.
“And I have made it very clear to Floyd that the day you get tired of me, don’t go and against me. Just tell me, I think you have served your term, it is time to go, I will leave without putting up a fight because I will know it’s a friend fire and it comes from a good place,” Malema said.
Moreover, Malema warned that the problem would start when Shivambu started organising against him.
“The problem starts when you start organising against me, and I hear it in the corners. I am very ruthless against people who do such things to me. So, never try that with me and he knows that because I have never lost a conference in my entire life and no one I have supported has lost a conference in my entire life,” Malema said while smiling, drawing laughter from the guests who graced the gala dinner.
The EFF leader further warned that he is a tactician who plans ahead.
“I am a tactician, and I always plan to the extreme,” Malema said. He added that he is not a coward, and does not conspire against the people who work with him.
Despite the tough lashing dished with a smile, Malema concluded his speech by thanking Shivambu’s family, saying their son has suffered because he associated himself with him.
“Let me thank the Shivambu family, I know what you have went through, I know what your children are going through. Some of them will never be employed because they carry your surname, by virtue of the association with Floyd and me. Worry not, the revolution will never swallow its own children, it will look after them, it will never abandon them,” Malema added.
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