ANCYL defends embattled Juju

African National Congress Youth League leader Julius Malema. Photo: Bongiwe Mchunu

African National Congress Youth League leader Julius Malema. Photo: Bongiwe Mchunu

Published Jul 28, 2011

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The ANC Youth League has taken a scatter-gun approach in defence of its beleaguered president, Julius Malema.

It is blaming everyone from the Rupert family to media giant Naspers, Absa CEO Maria Ramos, DA MP Wilmot James and other “capitalists” and “imperialists” for the difficulty in which the youth leader finds himself.

The league on Wednesday apparently tried to deflect attention from Malema’s family trust, which is allegedly funding the young leader’s lavish lifestyle through tender kickbacks. It said in a statement that Naspers – owner of Media24, which publishes City Press – and its “master” were behind the latest allegations against Malema.

City Press reported on Sunday that businessmen had allegedly made payments into the fund in exchange for Malema’s intervention in the allocation of government tenders.

The newspaper claimed one businessman had admitted to receiving a government tender after depositing R200 000 into Malema’s Ratanang Family Trust, and several other businessmen, notably in Malema’s home province of Limpopo, had done the same.

“(Media24) publications replicate the apartheid ideology of white supremacy and portray black people as corrupt or superstitious human beings, with no potential to develop and engage in conscious social, political and economic issues confronting South Africa,” the league said.

The young lions took a swipe at one of South Africa’s wealthiest families, the Ruperts, who are shareholders in Naspers, as well as former Treasury director-general and current Absa board member Ramos.

The statement also asked whether Naspers shareholders, the Ruperts, and board members Fred Phaswane and Professor Jakes Gerwel, approved of “the manner in which their (news)paper is used to fight political battles”. The league implied Ramos had a hand in Malema’s woes since she had “publicly opposed policy positions (of the league), particularly on (the) nationalisation of mines”.

The statement went on to draw comparisons between the media’s revelations about Malema and the hacking scandal now playing itself out in the media empire of Rupert Murdoch after revelations that the now-defunct News of the World tapped into the voicemail records of several royals, celebrities and crime victims in search of tabloid scoops.

Complaints have now been lodged against Malema with the police, the public protector and Sars.

Hawks spokesman McIntosh Polela has confirmed a preliminary investigation is under way after the Priority Crime Unit received a case docket from Brooklyn police, where AfriForum has lodged a criminal complaint. - Political Bureau

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