Malema Calls Mashaba ‘Foolish’ in Sharp Retort Over Border Video
EFF leader Julius Malema has hit back at ActionSA president Herman Mashaba, calling him foolish after Mashaba posted a video compilation criticising South Africa’s porous borders.
Mashaba’s video, shared on X, shows chaotic scenes of crowds overwhelming border entry points and includes an older clip of Malema (wearing his signature red EFF beret) urging SADC citizens to find “creative ways” to enter South Africa when official gates are closed.
The ActionSA leader uses the footage to highlight what he calls uncontrolled illegal immigration and vows to “restore order” and enforce tighter border controls if voters back his party in the 4 November local elections.
Malema responded directly to the post, writing: “I realised you are foolish when you can’t think and talk at the same time. It is not a condition, ke Bo tlaela Shem.”
The exchange revives a long-running ideological divide. Mashaba and ActionSA campaign on robust border security to protect South African jobs and services amid roughly 32% unemployment and strained public resources.
Malema has consistently promoted a pan-Africanist stance, arguing that colonial-era borders should not hinder African mobility and that current problems stem from government enforcement failures rather than migrants themselves.
Mashaba has previously shrugged off Malema’s insults, describing them as signs that the EFF feels threatened by ActionSA’s momentum. With local elections less than six months away, the public spat underscores immigration as a key flashpoint in the battle for voter support in affected communities.