Latest news with #EFFGauteng
TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
'Presley was a very good role model': Malema pays tribute to the late actor
EFF leader Julius Malema has conveyed his condolences to the family of the late actor Presley Chweneyagae. The 40-year-old award-winning actor died on May 27 from natural causes after experiencing sudden respiratory challenges. Malema visited Chweneyagae's home on Wednesday in Pretoria North to pay his respects. He was accompanied by party members, including EFF Gauteng chair Nkululeko Dunga and other leaders from the provincial structure. Speaking to the media after his visit, Malema remembered Chweneyagae for his talent and humility. 'We are here to send our condolences to the family. Presley was a very good actor and put South Africa on the international map when the movie Tsotsi won an Oscar Award. We started to appreciate that we have talent in our country,' Malema said. 'He was a very good role model; he had talent, and a lot of young people looked up to him. He interacted with people with such ease. He didn't throw his weight around if you found him at social events. Though he had a strong presence, he didn't behave like a typical celebrity who looked down on people. That's what brought us here. When a man has been good to you, you have to be there during difficult times.' He assured the family that the party would be there to support them through this difficult time. 'We told them that they're not alone. If they need anything, they should be able to shout, and we'll see where we can assist as the EFF. 'When a brother like that passes on, especially at the age of 40, it should be a concern for us to come and hear it from the family as to what happened.' Chweneyagae's first memorial service was held at the Mmabatho Convention Centre in Mahikeng on Tuesday. The second one will be held at the State Theatre in Pretoria on Thursday. His funeral service will take place at the Akasia Community Hall in Pretoria on Saturday.
The Citizen
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Kleinfontein rejects EFF demands, says court order not enforceable
The management of Kleinfontein, a self-declared Afrikaner cultural community east of Pretoria, is considering legal action and has sharply criticised the EFF following a protest on Friday. The EFF handed over a memorandum of seven demands to the metro and is demanding that the metro immediately enforce an August 2024 court order requiring all 'illegal development' in Kleinfontein to cease. The party is also calling for a full investigation into the legality of the settlement. In the memorandum, the EFF further insists that the metro enforce compliance with municipal laws and regulations, dispatch inspectors to the area, and initiate a full legal review of Kleinfontein's status. This action is part of a broader campaign by the EFF against Kleinfontein. On April 29, EFF provincial caucus leader Philip Makwala wrote to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, and labelled Kleinfontein a 'racist settlement' that violates constitutional principles. The EFF is requesting clarity on the legal status of the land and the provincial government's official position on the community. In response, Kleinfontein management stated that both the protest and the EFF's letter to Lesufi have been referred to their legal team. CEO Stefan Wiese said, 'Kleinfontein has been recognised as a cultural community by the Gauteng legislature and has worked with the metro for over a decade on the formalisation process.' He dismissed the EFF's accusations of racial exclusivity and pointed to Section 235 of the Constitution, which acknowledges the right to cultural self-determination. Wiese also argued that the court order cited by the EFF is not currently enforceable, as it is under appeal. On April 9, the Supreme Court of Appeal granted leave to appeal the August 2024 ruling. As a result, the matter will return to court, and enforcement of the order is suspended pending a new ruling. The original judgment declared Kleinfontein an illegal township due to the absence of formal township establishment. The metro was ordered at the time to enforce building and planning regulations in the area. However, Wiese emphasised that ongoing discussions with the metro about formalisation are continuing, describing the EFF's actions as 'undermining, aggressive and divisive'. The latest discussion with the metro was held in April, according to Wiese. Formal discussions after the August court ruling commenced in December 2024. The community also denies claims that it receives free municipal services or employs illegal labour, characterising Kleinfontein as entirely self-sufficient. Property tax rates of Kleinfontein recently escalated by 2 000% in the new evaluation roll. Meanwhile, property damage was caused during the protest, including the tearing down of the words 'ONS GOD' ('OUR GOD') at the entrance to the settlement. Kleinfontein intends to open a case with the police against the EFF, a move EFF Gauteng spokesperson Dumisani Baleni welcomed. 'They must go ahead and open a case with the police,' Baleni said. – Click here for a video of the protest Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
EFF visit irks Kleinfontein
CEO condemns 'unruly, aggressive, destructive manner'. A supporter of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) gestures at the entrance to Kleinfontein during a march to the culturally segregated, Afrikaner-only settlement near Pretoria, 2 May 2025, demonstrating its disapproval of what it described as a racist 'whites only enclave' in a democratic state Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen Kleinfontein residents have accused the EFF of spreading lies and vowed to lay charges of malicious damage to property against the party. This after EFF supporters arrived in the Afrikaner-only settlement near Rayton, east of Pretoria, on Friday to hand over a memorandum of demands. 'Kleinfontein must fall' EFF Gauteng chair Nkululeko Dunga said Kleinfontein must fall and cease to exist because it was where Afrikaners wanted to manufacture racism. 'We want you to stop it. Many ask why it was important for the EFF to come to Kleinfontein, a whites-only establishment, where they do not want blacks to occupy land or to stay in houses, but to be only as workers,' he said. 'We can never allow an area where black people are only subjected to sweat and slavery but cannot reside in it.' ALSO READ: EFF accused of hypocrisy after Kleinfontein march Kleinfontein's CEO's view Kleinfontein CEO Stefan Wiese condemned the 'unruly, aggressive, destructive, and ill-disciplined manner' in which the EFF marched on their community. 'Despite a verbal commitment from an EFF delegation to make an appointment and engage in what could have been constructive dialogue, the EFF instead chose a path of conflict,' he said. Wiese said the insults at the community by speakers and the singing of Kill the Boer was an act that can only be seen as a deliberate provocation. 'Claims that we receive services for free are blatantly false. Kleinfontein is self-sufficient. We provide our own water, manage our own electricity distribution and pay property taxes to the City of Tshwane,' he said. Misinformation Wiese said further misinformation was spread by a speaker who alleged Kleinfontein uses black labour while refusing residence to those workers, equating the community to apartheid. 'We reject this false and defamatory allegation with the contempt it deserves. In Kleinfontein, gardening, domestic work, and refuse removal is carried out by Afrikaners,' he said. Wiese said the aftermath of the EFF march was still under investigation, but charges of malicious damage to property will be laid against the party. 'In a deplorable act of vandalism and religious intolerance as the words Ons God [Our God] were ripped from the entrance wall,' he said. ALSO READ: PICTURES: EFF march to Kleinfontein Residents provoked Rietfontein director and shareholder Dannie de Beer said old and young people jumped in to clean up after the EFF march. De Beer said the marchers were aggressive and provoked residents from the gate. Freedom Front Plus Gauteng leader Jaco Mulder described the march as 'nothing but political theatrics riddled with racism to divert attention away from the failures of the coalition in the Tshwane metro, of which the EFF was part'. 'The fact that the EFF member of the mayoral committee for environmental affairs and regional leader, Obakeng Ramabodu, was caught on video trying to vandalise an AfriForum sign at Kleinfontein demonstrates that the EFF has no political capital apart from racism and an inflammatory and destructive culture,' he said. Mulder said Afrikaner cultural communities, such as Orania and Kleinfontein, pose no threat to South Africa, but contribute to growth. NOW READ: Kleinfontein: EFF says police 'protecting insecurities of white people' (VIDEOS)
Eyewitness News
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
'You cannot claim God as your own, especially when you're racist' - EFF's Niehaus on whites-only Kleinfontein
JOHANNESBURG - The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has criticised the whites-only community of Kleinfontein, questioning whether what it calls its segregation-driven policies are consistent with Christian values. Kleinfontein, in the east of Pretoria, is a whites-only settlement with cultural policies similar to those of Orania in the Northern Cape. However, only Afrikaners who identify with the Christian faith are permitted to live in Kleinfontein. On Friday, the EFF held a protest at the community, demonstrating against its exclusive admission of Afrikaner people. READ: EFF accuses govt of turning a blind eye to whites-only Kleinfontein community Large white flags are displayed at the community's entrance, proudly proclaiming Kleinfontein's core values, which are Christianity and the Afrikaner culture. EFF Member of Parliament (MP), Carl Niehaus said the community in itself contradicts values of the Christian faith. 'When we marched here, I see here at the gate that they say 'Ons God'. We want to say to them, you cannot claim God as your own, especially when you're racist.' The EFF wants Kleinfontein opened to people of other races. EFF Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga said Kleinfontein's existence contradicts the values of South Africa's democracy. 'There must be an end of Kleinfontein. We do not want, we don't want to see it and we don't want to breathe with people who think it's right for white people to stay in an area of their own - and then call it 'cultural preservation''.
IOL News
30-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
EFF calls for termination of R34 million monthly office rentals for Gauteng provincial government
EFF Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga condemns R34 million monthly office rentals, calling it a systematic programme of self-enrichment while 41 state-owned buildings remain vacant and crumbling from neglect. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng have called on the provincial government to immediately terminate all lease agreements with private landlords, following revelations that over R34 million is being spent monthly on office rentals despite the availability of 41 unused government-owned buildings in Johannesburg and Pretoria. This shocking expenditure, admitted by Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development Jacob Mamabolo in the provincial legislature, has raised alarms over fiscal mismanagement, inefficiency, and alleged corruption. According to Mamabolo, 11 provincial departments are currently operating from leased properties while state-owned buildings lie derelict due to years of neglect. The Gauteng government's justification that its buildings are in poor condition has been met with sharp criticism and demands for transparency. The EFF argues that this deterioration is not accidental but the result of "calculated neglect" aimed at creating artificial demand for private rentals, often benefiting politically connected individuals. EFF Gauteng Provincial Chairperson Nkululeko Dunga condemned the spending, labelling it "a deliberate and systematic programme of self-enrichment." He said: 'This is not a case of administrative incompetence but a deliberate and systematic programme of self-enrichment.' Dunga further dismissed Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi's claims of ignorance, stating that 'his feigned surprise is disingenuous, as this pattern of mis-governance is well-known and longstanding.' According to the EFF, the Office of the Premier alone spends nearly R4 million each month on rented office space. Other departments, including Education and Social Development, contribute tens of millions more to what the party describes as an ongoing "looting scheme." In October 2024, the EFF publicly rejected the Department of Education's R192 million rental bill and proposed that the province repurpose and renovate its vacant buildings or work with municipalities to utilise underused local facilities. These proposals were allegedly ignored to protect entrenched interests. Calling for an end to what it describes as 'criminality and betrayal,' the EFF is demanding the immediate cancellation of private leases, short-term renegotiation of fair rental terms, and a prioritisation of public property refurbishment. The party also wants a full forensic investigation into the cost and beneficiaries of these leases, warning against further 'sham investigations' under Lesufi. 'The collapse of public infrastructure is not incidental, but rather orchestrated,' Dunga said, adding that the province has lost out on thousands of potential jobs that could have been created through building renovation and maintenance. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. IOL Politics
