Lungani Zungu
A verbal sparring match between Julius Malema and Ronald Lamola is always a top box office matchup.
But when the pair clashed again on Sunday, they raised the bar.
Last week, EFF leader Malema said his party was open to forming a coalition government with the ANC only if the ruling party is led by Paul Mashatile, current ANC treasurer-general.
This raised the ire of Justice Minister Lamola, who is eyeing the deputy president position on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s slate when the ANC holds its elective conference in December.
Malema, who once led the ANC Youth League, was blunter, saying: “We don’t want Cyril
Ramaphosa to get a second term.”
Not the one to take Malema’s punches lying down, Lamola fired back.
“I do think that Floyd Shavimbu (current EFF deputy president) can lead the EFF,” he said while addressing ANC members.
This was analysed as Lamola’s bid to cause a rift between Malema and his deputy president Floyd Shivambu.
Lamola said Malema was acting like a permanent leader of the EFF.
“We must campaign for Floyd Shivambu.”
He went on to say that Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, EFF MP, “is fit to be the secretary-general of the EFF”.
Lamola then reminded Malema of a time when he called Mashatile “a schemer” and “dishonest person”.
Lamola is a member of the ANC National Executive Committee, the highest decision-making body.
Responding to Lamola on Twitter, Malema wrote: “I set the agenda for these fools, especially this one (Lamola) who speaks like he’s constipated.”
No one concedes defeat when Malema and Lamola butt heads.
Nearly a decade ago, Malema, who had been expelled from the ANC, called Lamola a “sell-out” and “traitor”.
This was after Lamola, then president of the ANC Youth League, supported the results of the Mangaung ANC conference, which elected Jacob Zuma as party president for a second term.
Lamola retaliated by accusing Malema of failing to lead the ANC Youth League.
Shivambu, the former ANC youth leader, jumped in and separated the two warring leaders.
“They must not play into the hands of the enemy,” Shivambu said at the time.
More blows are expected to be traded between the two leaders as Malema has picked sides ahead of the ANC conference in December.
With a coalition government likely to be the order of the day after the 2024 national general election, Malema, ever a strategist, is testing the waters of which parties may likely work with the red berets.
