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Julius Malema

Johannesburg — EFF are mobilising for “practical action” to address inequalities in the country —and their first target is Absa bank. “We’re very serious, we want to benefit from our economy,” party leader Julius Malema told the Southern African-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Johannesburg on Friday.

“We’re now moving into practical action, we’re tired of talking. We’ve been talking for far too long now. Let each company produce its commitment of how it’s going to address the inequalities in South Africa, not theoretically, we’ve been listening to theory for far too long.”

Malema said the EFF has established a special task team which would start work next year — and first on the agenda was occupying Absa. “[We will] occupy Absa, each and every branch of Absa, until we’re given a practical programme of action on how the bank is going to intervene to resolve the inequalities in society. We targeted Absa because it’s the amalgamated banks of the Broederbond . . . who operated during apartheid and stole our money on the eve of democracy.”

Malema did not give a date or time, but said on one day 3,000 EFF members would occupy each branch of Absa around the country.

The EFF had put together a list of all the branches and had assigned an individual to mobilise a minimum of 3,000 people who would “get into Absa peacefully”.

“If they don’t want that, they must start talking. Next in line is FNB. We will attend to them one by one,” he said. Meanwhile, Malema has warned big corporations to look after their workers otherwise they would rise up against them. “I warned about an un-led revolution in South Africa. It’s coming,” he told the Southern African German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Johannesburg on Friday.

“It’s in the universities [and] it will go to the factories. Students are demanding free education in the universities — workers are going to demand a minimum wage in the factories.” He said President Jacob Zuma and the ANC had no control and were suffering from a lack of credibility and legitimacy.

Just like the students, no one will be able to tell workers to stop burning down factories when they start protesting. Malema warned the chamber not to be part of a group of people who undermined workers. “Take a decision to look after your workers, they’ll look after you during the time of the revolution.

“When people call them to action, they’ll say ‘we’re not affected by those things’ . . . That’s all we’re asking for.” He questioned why businesses had a problem with giving workers shares in their companies, as it was the workers who looked after those businesses. — Sapa