Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema, who last week called Springbok captain Siya Kolisi "My Captain" on social media, has now turned around and called the team an "apartheid symbol" that must fall. 

Speaking at the party's Gauteng elections workshop in Johannesburg, Malema described the Springboks as a team that was celebrated by "murderers", like PW Botha, the former National Party head of state. 

Malema was responding to views held about the EFF being a populist organisation. He said his party could not be because it did not join the rest of the country in hailing the world champions. 

He claimed the EFF did not hate rugby, but they "don't love the Springboks". 

"Amabokoboko, die Bokke, Springboks is an apartheid symbol. You can't say remove apartheid symbols, and maintain the name Springbok and the [Springbok] emblem, and the colours that were used during apartheid by white people. 

"You can't say Rhodes must fall, and not say Springboks must not fall. The Springboks must fall," Malema said. 

However, shortly after the Rugby World Cup match had ended on the night of 28 October, both the EFF and Malema celebrated the Springboks' victory on the social platform X.

Malema called the moment of support for the Boks a slip in "political consciousness".

To loud cheers from EFF supporters, he said should his party win elections, it would change the rugby team's emblem and colours. 

"Why are being forced to salute the emblem that was saluted by [former National Party prime minister DF] Malan, to salute the emblem that was saluted by [PW] Botha, by [former National Party prime minister Hendrik] Verwoerd, [and] by [the last head of state under the National Party FW] De Klerk? 

"That emblem and that jersey represent white supremacists that we don't support." 

Among the other matters raised by Malema during the elections workshop was the issue of party members needing to present themselves as "grounded and humble".

He warned EFF members part of local governments – such as in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni – to reject opulence. 

This comes on the back of charges being opened against Ekurhuleni Finance MMC and the party's Gauteng chairperson, Nkululeko Dunga, on Thursday for allegedly violating the National Traffic Roads Act by fitting a private vehicle with blue lights.

Dunga was injured in a mid-evening motor vehicle accident that left one man dead on the R21, near Pomona Road, in Ekurhuleni on 23 October. He was travelling in a luxury Mercedes-Benz V Class, as part of his convoy, at the time of the accident. 

Days after the accident, the ANC revealed the luxury vehicle was privately owned and did not belong to the City.

It has since been established that the car's registration is linked to a businessman who has several contracts with Ekurhuleni. 

The charges were opened by the ActionSA's Siyanda Makhubo. 

"We are also asking the Speaker of the council, Nthabiseng Tshivhenga, to probe how the vehicle fitting happened. What we are trying to do here is hold MMC Dunga accountable, and we want this case to see the light of day in court," said Makhubo earlier in the week. 

The EFF in Gauteng, however, dismissed the claims against Dunga as "baseless, opportunistic and bordering on cheap political scoring".

At the workshop, Malema pleaded with the more than 5 000-strong supporters not to display "opulence in the face of poverty".

He added that party volunteers should not be drunk when campaigning ahead of next year's national and provincial elections.

"At all material times, it does not matter how beautiful your car is. Do not display opulence on Facebook, on Twitter and everywhere else – always be grounded and humble. Help each other and help communities without expecting anything in return, without expecting votes from communities. Go and help them, and help them genuinely," Malema said.

Meanwhile, EFF Gauteng elections campaign head Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said the party would send volunteers to all the province's more than 2 700 voting districts, including 40 volunteers at each voting station in the three metros; Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Tshwane.

Gauteng is a hotly-contested battleground ahead of next year's election.

Early polling shows the governing African National Congress is in danger of not making the 50% mark for an outright majority, tracking at a paltry 37%. 

Ndlozi said: "We are going to guard all EFF votes in every voting station in 2024."