EFF leader Julius Malema has revealed that he once wanted to start a civil organisation for black South Africans, similar to AfriForum, with former judge Dr John Hlophe serving as its lead legal mind.
Speaking on the party’s first podcast of the year, Malema said he personally approached Hlophe to play a central role, citing the judge’s credibility nationally, across Africa, and with the diaspora.
He explained that the organisation would have taken on legal battles similar to those handled by Helen Suzman, Freedom Under Law, and AfriForum.
Malema said its responsibility would be to mark AfriForum.
“Because you don’t have income, we are going to put you on the EFF payroll until we have fully established this thing,” he said, adding that many sponsors would have supported it.
“I wanted him to be a Gerrie Nel of some sort. But I think he had pressures of resources, and decided to join politics, and decided to join the wrong party, which values no education at all,” Malema said.
Malema defended his decision not to bring Hlophe into the EFF, saying it was not about the judge’s removal but about principle.
He recalled advising Hlophe to stay out of politics: “When I was at Judge Hlophe’s farm in Paarl, we left, him, just the two of us.
He said, ‘No, I thought you brought the membership form.’
I said, ‘No, I don’t need you to join politics. Because one, the decision to remove you, I don’t agree with it. It’s a wrong decision, premised on principles that are not consistent.
”So it’s not for me to make the decision, but I don’t agree with it. So I want to plead with you to stay. And fight the case?”
Malema also addressed the political situation in KwaZulu-Natal, where the EFF is supporting the provincial government despite criticism over poor governance.
He said voters’ choices must be respected, even if they resulted in mismanagement.
“The people of KZN decided they want to be led by fools. So they must say they are fools. It’s not I who decides,” Malema said.
”We all of the principle that says the person with the majority must be the one who leads. Mayor, Premier, and things like that. So they wanted them like that. We get the government we deserve. And that’s what the people of KZN deserve. That’s what they voted for,” he said.
He added that the EFF would assist the ANC in running the province to prevent chaos but would not compromise its principles.
“We cannot allow KZN to degenerate. And the good thing is, unlike MK, there is law in government. You don’t just do things there. Things are done in a particular way. And therefore that is going to help us to run KZN in a manner that is required by the constitution and the laws of South Africa,” he said.
Malema spoke on tribalism and regional loyalty, linking support for former President Jacob Zuma to a desire for symbolic leadership after the passing of prominent Zulu leaders.
“Some people still need Shaka Zulu in their life. They’re still looking for Shaka Zulu. And you can’t do anything about that except to engage in political education, to educate them that these things are not like that. They’re way beyond issues of tribes,” he said.
He also criticised MKP’s leadership, saying its members lacked political capacity and highlighting individuals who envied the EFF but were inexperienced, citing Sibonelo Nomvalo as an example.
“The threat here is Jacob Zuma. And on the basis of tribalism, nothing else. Regionalism, tribalism, the desperation to have an elder amongst us after the passing of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, and the late King Goodwill Zwelithini, and some still see the king as a young man, so they want someone to look up to. And then some have decided President Zuma is that kind of a person we need,” Malema said.
Hlophe is currently suspended by the MK Party pending an internal inquiry into his conduct, expected to conclude by the end of January 2026. The suspension follows disputed parliamentary decisions, though party leaders say it is temporary. He remains a member of parliament and deputy president of MK Party.
Politics
