Political tolerance urged by Malema amid Juju Valley election ...
EFF president Julius Malema engaging with the media at Mponegele Primary School in Seshego after casting his vote. (@EFFSouthAfrica/X formerly Twitter)
The 2024 general elections went off smoothly in Juju Valley, Limpopo, despite it being identified as one of 24 high-risk areas by the police.
The area emerged nine years ago after residents began erecting shacks.
Voters patiently queued outside Spirit Wind International Ministries voting station in Juju Valley on Wednesday.
The area is known to be an EFF stronghold. There were two political party tents, one for the EFF and the other for the ANC, near the voting station.
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The EFF tent was abuzz with residents checking their names before joining the queue, while at the ANC end, News24 did not observe any supporters.
Resident Aubrey Moleele said he was voting for the EFF because it provided his family with land to erect their informal dwelling.
"The EFF has provided us with five boreholes. The governing ANC has ignored us. They don't recognise us. The government uplifts other settlements ahead of us. We are excluded from services because we are EFF members," he added.
Moleele also complained children in Juju Valley still walked long distances to school.
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Machoene Komape said residents required myriad services, including electricity, taps, a clinic, and schools.
Komape added crime was low in Juju Valley because of voluntary patrols at night.
Dressed in a white shirt, a yellow floral tie and an EFF membership card hanging from his shirt, Johannes Mantshiwe hoped his vote would bring change in Juju Valley.
"There are little developments happening here. This shows some politicians care little about Juju Valley," he said.
EFF vs ANC
Juju Valley was in the news two weeks ago when EFF and ANC members clashed during the parties' respective campaigns.
The EFF held a soccer tournament when ANC members arrived.
Violence broke out between the two parties, resulting in a 25-year-old man and a nine-year-old girl sustaining gunshot wounds.
The two were taken to the hospital, where the 25-year-old has since been discharged. The nine-year-old remains in hospital.
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Former EFF and now ANC member Jossey Buthane was arrested for the attempted murder of the 25-year-old.
The police are yet to arrest the person who shot the nine-year-old.
Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe said they confiscated several firearms linked to the incident.
There was a heavy police presence in Juju Valley on Wednesday.
Malema speaks
Addressing the media at Mponegele Primary School, EFF leader Julius Malema called for political tolerance.
He said the incident was caused by attention-seeking individuals whose only action was provocation.
"Today that [wounded] child remains in ICU because some fool decided to cause fights unnecessarily. They demonstrated high levels of stupidity. They fired guns when they didn't have firearm licences. Such people shouldn't find resonance in society," Malema said.
He added South Africa was a peaceful country with political tolerance.
"We have co-existed with the ANC for 10 years. There is no violence between us. The question is what changed and what is the cause of the problem," Malema said.
