More than 5,000 EFF supporters filled up the Standard Bank Arena in Johannesburg on Sunday, November 5, 2023, as the party prepares for the 2024 elections. The EFF CIC Julius Malema spoke to the crowd about the concept of ground forces and encouraged those gathered to ensure representation in every voting station next year. Picture: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has called for the downfall of the South African Rugby National Team, Springboks, saying it represented white supremacy at the top level.
“Amabokoboko, Die Bokke, Springboks is an apartheid symbol. Springbok must fall,” he said.
He said he did not support Springboks because it had colours and an emblem that represented and reflected the country’s pain of the Apartheid era.
“I don’t support Springboks. I don’t support the emblem and the apartheid colours that the National Team wears. We want the colours that represent democracy,” he said.
Malema was addressing the Gauteng EFF Provincial Ground Forces Forum on Sunday at the Standard Bank Arena in Johannesburg.
Malema said he did not have a problem with rugby but “we don’t love amabokoboko”. He added that rugby was not a white man’s sport but rather a sport that has been around for decades.
“Our people in the Eastern Cape and everywhere else have played rugby long before these people played it,” he said.
During his address, he also called for the national team to get a new name, colours, and new emblem that will represent the country’s democracy as well as the nation’s interests not “white supremacy”.
He mentioned that Amabokoboko was an Afrikaner pride symbol and Afrikaner property, alleging that is why the “Afrikaners President” Johann Rupert received the team to his farm.
He criticised the Boks for allegedly visiting Rupert’s private farm on Saturday while the team was on a trophy tour in the Western Cape.
“I can’t support such,” stating that he would rather remain with Bafana Bafana until it was brought back to action by his party when it takes over power next year.
“I am not going to support anything that represents white supremacy, apartheid, and everything that undermined black people.
“You can be part of Amabokoboko, I will remain with Bafana Bafana until it is brought back into action by the government of the EFF,” he said.
He said Bafana’s failures were due to a lack of support and sponsorship yet “white” teams were sponsored and thriving.
The Springboks won the World Cup Rugby tournament a week ago in France beating New Zealand’s All Blacks in the final.
The Boks became the first team to win four world titles since the tournament’s inception.
kamogelo.moichela@inl.co.za
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