Julius Malema Ramaphosa covid-19 superspreader

Photo: EFF / Twitter

‘Distressing’: Ramaphosa condemns EFF, Malema over SAHPRA march

Ramaphosa said that SAHPRA must be allowed to carry out its work assessing vaccines without political interference by Malema and the EFF.

Julius Malema Ramaphosa covid-19 superspreader

Photo: EFF / Twitter

During his grim address to the nation on Sunday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa voiced his contempt for the actions of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and their leader Julius Malema, who this week staged a widely condemned mass march to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) offices demanding more vaccines be approved and administered.

Malema led thousands of EFF supporters through Pretoria on Friday, with social distancing and gathering protocols entirely abandoned. Many of those who joined in to demand that SAHPRA approve Russian and Chinese vaccines flouted mask mandates. 

Ramaphosa said that the actions of the EFF were “extremely distressing” and insisted that SAHPRA be able to carry out it’s work without the “personal political interference”. 

EFF actions ‘highly distressing’  

During his speech on Sunday 27 June, Ramaphosa – without explicitly naming the subjects of his contempt – launched a scathing response to those trying to obstruct SAHPRA’s ability to ensure the procurement of safe, efficient COVID-19 vaccines

He expressed serious concern for Malema and the EFF’s actions against “dedicated medical professionals, healthcare workers and scientists” who have led the fight against COVID-19 since it first hit SA short in March 2020.

“We owe them all a debt of gratitude for their professionalism and their dedication.

“It is therefore extremely distressing when political leaders launch personal attacks against such people for doing the job they have been assigned to do,” he said. 

“We must remember that SAHPRA is an independent regulator that focuses only on scientific evidence to ensure safety, quality and efficacy in the interest of public health.”

Ramaphosa said that SAHPRA must be allowed to do its job “without intimidation or political influence” so that when vaccines are approved the public can be confident that the vaccines are “safe, of good quality and will work”.

Malema points finger at Ramaphosa  

Malema, who wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to level a defiant swipe at the Ramaphosa – who he referred to as a “fool” earlier this week – said that the President’s nod to Nelson Mandela at the beginning of his address was an attempt to “hypnotise” the public.

“When they want to hypnotise us, they use Mandela name,” he tweeted, with an accompanying #RamaphosaIsKillingUs hashtag.