Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says that the ANC will lose Gauteng in the next national elections, and the ruling party should blame that on president Jacob Zuma.<\/p>\n
South Africa\u2019s next election will take place in 2019 when the country will go to the polls to elect a new Parliament and new Provincial Governments.<\/p>\n
“They’re unable to discipline Zuma. They must know that in 2019 the EFF will remember during coalition talks. We will remember the Parliament beatings,” Malema said at a press briefing in Braamfontein on Tuesday, referring to the State of the Nation Address in which the party was violently removed from the house.<\/p>\n
“Gauteng is gone. There’s no other chance of the ANC taking this province. Keeping Zuma is eating at their votes. We will remember their torture and beatings when we take coalition and negotiation talks. We will show them videos,” Malema said.<\/p>\n
“South Africans who\u00a0are not happy with us will thank us later. You will thank us for protecting the constitution,” the politician said.<\/p>\n
Following municipal elections in 2016, nationally, the ANC saw its support decline to 54%, from 64.8% in 2006, and 61.9% in 2011. The DA has grown from 16.2% in 2006, to 23.9% in 2011, to 27.1% in 2016.<\/p>\n
In Johannesburg, the ruling party surrendered the majority to a coalition government under DA mayor, Herman Mashaba.<\/p>\n
Malema said on Tuesday that the EFF is the only party that got an increase in 2016 elections. “And before that, we were fighting in parliament. Our fighting doesn’t make us lose votes. We gained votes in 2016 for our resilience and defense of the constitution,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It’s not emotion here. It’s science. We are going to intensify the strategy and also build branches in this year,” Malema said.<\/p>\n
The former ANC Youth League Leader took a swipe at one of the front-runners to take over from president Zuma, Cyril Ramaphosa, saying that “anyone that put money on Cyril wasted money. Cyril only has GP, and GP is divided. Gauteng doesn’t win national politics,” Malema said.<\/p>\n