When Zindzi Mandela got behind her keyboard 10 days ago, we doubt she expected to cause a fallout on such a nuclear scale. But her verbose call for movement on land expropriation without compensation has kicked a hornet’s nest, and now, the EFF and former President Thabo Mbeki are at each other’s throats.

EFF vs Thabo Mbeki, via Zindzi Mandela

Mbeki suggested on Sunday that Mandela – the daughter of Nelson and Winnie – should be subject to some sort of punitive action. Zindzi serves as the South African Ambassador to Denmark, and her highly divisive Tweets on land ownership and white people were seen as “undiplomatic”.

As the controversy rumbled on over the past week, Zindzi Mandela has just about held on to her position – even if it came with a dressing down from DIRCO Minister Naledi Pandor, who has demanded better from the politician.

EFF lash Thabo Mbeki for “failing with flying colours”

But Mbeki’s demand for accountability hasn’t gone done well in all corners of South Africa, and particularly not the red one. The EFF have exploded into a rage against the two-term head of state and they’ve not been afraid to dip into their endless well of bellicose language, taunting Mbeki for “failing with flying colours” on land redistribution.

“The EFF condemns President Mbeki’s call for action to be taken against Zindzi Mandela. He confesses to not knowing what the Tweets were, but because of his uncontrollable appetite to appear as a paragon of correctness, he still comments.”

“Of all people who must deny Zindzi Mandela to voice this frustration is Mbeki. As president of South Africa, he failed with flying colours to resolve the land question. He had no passionate and consistent attention on it, as he did with the neoliberal restriction of the state.”

EFF statement

Julius Malema also gets involved

Lifting a quote directly from the party statement, Julius Malema also expressed his vitriol towards Mbeki. He chose to highlight the point that the EFF believes he has always tried to “strongarm” the Mandelas into silence:

Mbeki also seems not to be retreating his assault of the Winnie Mandela household. What was wrong with him just saying he has no knowledge of what Zinzi Mandela said? He could not say this because the Winnie Mandela household must always be put to its place: a place of docility.

— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) June 23, 2019

You can also read the full EFF statement here:

EFF Condemns Mbeki's Call For Action To Be Taken Against Zindzi Mandela pic.twitter.com/eXa39X6MIZ

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) June 23, 2019

(Source: The South African)