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- EFF leader Julius Malema posted photos on social media of what appeared to be a family party on Christmas Day and many attendees seemed to have little regard for social distancing.
- Covid-19 infections reported in Limpopo have increased.
- Malema and the EFF have been advocates of stricter lockdowns to help slow the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19.
One of the biggest political proponents of a strict lockdown has apparently been partying during the holiday season, posting a video on social media to flaunt it.
In July, EFF leader Julius Malema criticized President Cyril Ramaphosa’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic after Ramaphosa announced a relaxation of confinement restrictions, saying if he did not return to level five confinement stricter, thousands of “poor black lives” would be lost.
This was days after he was photographed without a mask, alongside mourners at Zindzi Mandela’s funeral.
READ MORE | Malema criticizes Ramaphosa’s ‘hypocritical’ handling of the Covid-19 pandemic
A Polokwane local who claimed to be close to Malema said the politician organized several well-attended parties in that city recently.
A long video of a party, said to have taken place at his family’s home, was posted on Christmas Day, showing several older attendees and children. There was singing and dancing at the party, but in the video only about four or five people could be seen dancing in a group wearing masks.
It seemed to have been a Christmas party. Malema published: “Los Malemas. Family matters”. Once or twice, the camera turned to show Malema himself.
The party appeared to have taken place in a covered outdoor entertainment area and not all people at the party were separated by at least 1.5 meters, as required by government regulations to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
More party videos
There were other videos as well, said to have been taken Sunday at a place outside Polokwane called Mekete. One showed Malema – without a face mask – dancing and singing on stage with musicians, and another where she danced with a group of people while holding a glass of champagne.
It was not clear from the video if the place was outside or not, or how good the ventilation was.
Only one person could be seen wearing a mask, and there seemed to be very little social distancing.
The videos were posted on Malema’s Instagram account four days ago, but some were deleted after the video clips went viral.
People on social media said the videos were old, but the presence of some masked assistants attests to the fact that the videos were filmed during the pandemic because regulations on social distancing and wearing masks were in place.
In another video, it was clear that the party took place outside, but the partygoers touched each other as they danced.
News24 asked virology expert Francois Venter, director of Ezintsha at Wits University, for his opinion on the safety of the parts after watching the videos.
He said:
Indoor events are associated with almost all super spread events, but physical distancing is a key component in protecting yourself. I think we all want human contact so badly, but we’ve seen politicians and people responsible for messaging around the world repeatedly deviate, and that undermines public trust in messaging.
He said that while the outdoors was safer than indoors, parties were unwise during a pandemic.
Yesterday, the EFF reposted a video of Malema a few months ago at a physical press conference, calling for more soldiers on the street to enforce the lockdown, as well as a stricter lockdown.
The EFF saw the warning signs months ago and warned the government
We mentioned that we prefer disciplined soldiers and other law enforcement officers on the ground.
Also, massive testing is needed, as well as mandatory quarantine for people who test positive. pic.twitter.com/FIIit49FcU
– Fighters for Economic Freedom (@EFFSouthAfrica) December 29, 2020
On Monday night, Ramaphosa announced a tightening of lockdown regulations to try to stop the uncontrolled spread of the virus. In his speech, he noted that Christmas gatherings with family members were widely publicized events.
The President said:
The rapid rise in infections is being driven by so-called super-spread events, which include end-of-the-year functions, family and social gatherings, and music and cultural events.
Malema could not be reached by phone on several occasions and News24 text messages went unanswered. Your comment will be added as soon as you reply.
EFF Secretary General Marshall Dlamini told News24 that he had not seen Malema’s social posts and did not want to comment.
However, he added that the EFF had asked people to be held accountable. “We say that people should stay home with the family.”
Dlamini asked to see the videos and was sent the links and videos, but did not immediately respond.
The EFF canceled its usual end-of-the-year party for seniors citing concerns about Covid-19, and instead chose to deliver gifts at people’s homes.
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