EFF leader Julius Malema / Image via Twitter: Economic Freedom Fighters
@EFFSouthAfrica
EFF leader Julius Malema / Image via Twitter: Economic Freedom Fighters
@EFFSouthAfrica
EFF leader Julius Malema certainly had an eventful day on Thursday. After giving a fiery speech to the residents of Sharpeville, he commemorated Human Rights Day by addressing the issues currently dominating South African society – that included giving his backing to the #MenAreTrash movement.
If we were to pick a stand-out moment from his speech, his claims that South Africa is a worse place than Zimbabwe would be up there. However, it was his admission that “men are a problem” which somewhat flew under the radar.
How #MenAreTrash began
The #MenAreTrash hashtag began shortly after the murder of Karabo Mokoena, who was killed by her boyfriend Sandile Mantsoe in June 2017. The brutality of the case sent shockwaves across Mzansi, who reacted furiously to Mantsoe’s attempts to cover up the crime. The campaign was launched and has stayed relevant in SA ever since.
Of course, “not all men” have taken too kindly to this observation. A strong collective believe the term is derogatory towards them. However, the counter-argument remains as this: We should be more offended by gender-based violence than we are by words on the internet.
Julius Malema gets involved in trash talk
That’s a sentiment that Juju seems to have captured, too. He told the crowd that he is still trying to unlearn certain behaviours and fully supports the “trash talk”, explaining that women express themselves from a position of pain.
“A lot of men have declared war against our women, these women are hurting hence they say men are trash, they speak from a position of pain and we must understand them.
“I try to be a different man. When I grew up, they taught us [men] that we are superior to women. Now, we must all say ‘I want to walk myself out of that miseducation’ and we as men must accept that we have a problem.”
Julius Malema
EFF’s gender policy
The EFF has been walking the walk, as well as talking the talk. The red berets have argued in Parliament that female liberation fighters haven’t received the same attention as their male counterparts, as they fight to have Cape Town International Airport renamed after Winnie Mandela.
The list of candidates for the 2019 Elections also has 50/50 split of male and female representatives. Malema’s party have prioritised the fight for gender equality, and it may be a moment of clarity amongst other chaotic elements of the EFF’s election campaign.
