South Africa

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AMNESIA

Malema’s stern warning to corrupt members: You will rue the day you joined the EFF

Malema’s stern warning to corrupt members: You will rue the day you joined the EFF
EFF leader Julius Malema. (Photo: Gallo Images / Luba Lesolle)

At the EFF’s People’s Assembly, leader Julius Malema warned that the party could not fight against corruption in SA if its leadership ‘become part of palace politics and corrupt elite’.

The problem of corruption in South Africa seems to have found its way into the EFF — particularly in Gauteng, leader Julius Malema said in a keynote address at the party’s third provincial assembly on Sunday, 11 September. 

After a new provincial leadership had been elected, Malema said in his speech: “We have a problem of corruption in South Africa and we’ve started to have a problem of corruption in the EFF now… When people are sent to the leadership of the EFF, who are leading in regions, provinces and all of that, people will demand money in exchange for helping those people with whatever problems they are confronted with.”  

In one instance, he said, a party researcher had been allegedly hired without an interview or the knowledge of EFF members and caucus. 

Recruitment drive

Over the past few months, the EFF has embarked on a drive to recruit one million members by the end of the year. Malema said it was disturbing that some regions had failed to meet their campaign targets, but urged them to do so after the assembly.  

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“You must make sure you recruit the real numbers to reach the target. Because it is Gauteng that is going to deliver South Africa. All of us must know that Gauteng is what will liberate South Africa and without a grounded EFF that is based on the quality of highly recruited members, then the organisation will not have a future,” he said.  


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Malema said the EFF had warned branches against using signatures to recruit members as these could easily be forged and, as a result, would undermine the growth of the party. Despite this, some had used signature campaigning.  

“People went ahead… and thought we will not know the system exposes them. And we’ve since suspended them. It is those people who commit treason in the EFF by lying to the organisation and creating an impression that the organisation is alive when it is not alive,” he said. 

Sober analysis

Malema urged the newly elected leadership to remain honest and give sober analysis of the growth of the party to allow national officials an opportunity to reflect on how such branches could be assisted. He warned that the party could not fight against corruption successfully if its leadership “accept bribes and become part of palace politics and corrupt elite” of South Africa.  

“You ought to stay away from corrupt people. And do not take unsolicited, even solicited gifts from dodgy characters who may be in trouble tomorrow. And because they are in trouble, they will drag you into those troubles and you will drag the EFF into those troubles.”

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Malema argued that to win the battle against corruption, action must be taken at grassroots level. 

“Corruption must be fought from inside here, internally in the EFF. If it raises its ugly head, we must chop the neck of corruption in the EFF if we’re going to win [the battle against] corruption outside the EFF,” he said.  

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In the Sedibeng district, south of Johannesburg, a man was allegedly hired to be a researcher without an interview and without the knowledge of the EFF or that of the caucus or the entire leadership of the EFF, Malema said. 

“You can see that there is a corrupt individual who has been engaged in a corrupt programme to corrupt the organisation and we will not tolerate such people in the EFF. We don’t care how powerful you are… Once you engage in such shenanigans, you will regret the day you joined the EFF because it will not allow corruption.” DM

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Comments - Please in order to comment.

  • Malcolm McManus says:

    Is this perhaps a body double, reading off the wrong script.

  • Nick Griffon says:

    That he can sit their and say that with a straight face, knowing that his VBS looting is public knowledge is mind boggling.
    He has no conscience or shame.

    • jcdville stormers says:

      What if nobody reported the drivel that they spew out?

      • Nick Griffon says:

        I have always maintained, the media made JM more powerful than what he really should be. Continuously reporting on all the rubbish that comes out of his mouth kept him in the news on a daily basis.
        If everybody just stop giving him all the attention that he so thrives on, he will the unimpressive 10% opposition party that he really is.
        The only stories people should report on is the Ratanang family trust, On Point Engineering, the VBS scandal and all his other criminal activities. Hats off to Pauli van Wyk for the great job she is doing.

  • allan j whitehead says:

    Always the deflector this fella, the leader of this pack of thieves has some nuts to tell people this, when he was and is the so called dictator of a political party that oozes with smelly funds.

  • Ian McGill says:

    Who In the NPA is protecting this racist theif? Surely the “follow the money” move will nail him and Floyd (the lap dog)! Time for a private prosecution.

  • Patrick Devine says:

    VBS Julius & Floyd. We see you. Pauli caught you stealing.

    Julius is a tobacco smugglers owned little lapdog.

  • Roelf Pretorius says:

    Julius Malema is conveniently leaving something out. That is that as long as the corruption is present at the top, such as with Malema & Shibambu, it is no use to try to fight it at the bottom. All the ANC-led municipalities in SA are good examples of this, as was the Zuma government. So Malema’s words are structured to mislead the uninformed (which the EFF is wooing to get more votes) while taking the focus off the top leaders, in typical RET/Zuma style. We should not forget that Malema learnt his politics inside the ANC youth league while Zuma was in charge of the ANC. The only thing I don’t understand is why the NPA is taking so long to apprehend these two – there is no way we are going to end corruption in SA as long as they are on the loose.

    • Cunningham Ngcukana says:

      This means arresting some members of the Limpopo VBS PEC who support Ramaphosa for the second term. The NPA has eyes. It is not prosecuting without fear , prejudice or favour. The Commission of Floyd’s brother was from the ANC municipality. When you talk of VBS you must talk of the ANC former TG Zweli Mkhize, Florence Radzilani, Stan Mathabatha (accessory after the fact), Manedzhe ( current Provincial Secretary). Even Ramabulana himself who was protected by the ANC. You are talking of many carriages that must be charged on VBS. The rubbish of Sikhonathi Mantshantsha who got a job as a spokesperson for blackouts for spewing bile against Malema and Shivambu, without saying that you must first arrest VBS Ramaphosa supporters to bring any case against the EFF leaders which is far fetched because you have to go via the brother of Floyd. We must not mislead the public.

  • Colleen Dardagan says:

    But I thought you said corruption was a white thing? So what happened?

  • Rob vZ says:

    I think what JujuVBS means is that there is only room for one thief in the organisation, or two if you include his slippery pal, Floyd.

  • Richard Baker says:

    NPA, FIC and SARS “hands-off” protects these folk-leaving them free to make these utterances. No charges so no wrong-doing. About to start Q4 2022 (sleep-time) and yet another year rolls-by with no action from these supposed authorities. Meanwhile the impoverished who placed their life savings with VBS must continue to watch as nothing happens.

  • L G says:

    I get that links to stories about Malema’s and the EFF’s corruption are embedded throughout the article.

    But I still find it very strange that these happenings are not directly referenced in the piece, which simply quotes Malema without bringing up the essential context – doesn’t point out the obvious hypocrisy.

    I think it’s important to call a spade a spade, and not rely on readers reading between the lines. If someone copied and pasted this article, without the linked stories, it would present a very rosy picture of Malema indeed.

  • Hermann Funk says:

    What does JM mean by having problem now? He has been stealing ever since he became a politician.

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