Malema targets 'Zuptas'

EFF invited members of the media to a Press Conference addressed by CIC Julius Malema at there head office in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Picture: Antoine de Ras, 04/02/2016

EFF invited members of the media to a Press Conference addressed by CIC Julius Malema at there head office in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Picture: Antoine de Ras, 04/02/2016

Published Feb 5, 2016

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Johannesburg - EFF leader Julius Malema has turned his focus on the politically-connected Gupta family and wants them to leave South Africa “immediately” or face a revolt by his party.

In an unprecedented move that left journalists stunned, Malema also said all TV and print journalists working for the Gupta-owned media group were banned from covering the EFF’s activities. He said he would “not guarantee their safety” if they did not heed his call.

The EFF commander-in-chief pronounced this in the presence of ANN7 and The New Age reporters, who were among the journalists attending the party’s media briefing on their reaction to President Jacob Zuma’s court settlement offer to pay back the non-security upgrades costs at his Nkandla home.

“The Guptas must leave the country. We (are) tired about talking about the Guptas. We going to take practical action,” Malema said, accusing the Gupta companies of being products of corrupt activity and used to perpetuate corruption.

Coining the Guptas as the “Zuptas” to refer to their widely seen influence on Zuma, Malema said protectors of corruption would not be tolerated. The firebrand leader said the Gupta-owned media company was not in the industry for business but to pursue a political agenda.

“It’s propaganda machinery,” he said, before turning his attention on the ANN7 and The New Age reporters. While Malema did not order those affected journalists to leave immediately, he warned them not to cover the EFF events in the future.

“Gupta media must no longer come to EFF events. We don’t want to see The New Age and ANN7.”

He cautioned them to “move out the way”.

“Sisters and brothers in Gupta firms, we love you and don’t want you to be casualties. We are going for the enemy.

“We cannot guarantee the safety of those working in the studios controlled by a family.

“We cannot guarantee the safety of those printing New Age and ANN7,” he said.

He also warned that the Guptas, who are seen as having a close relationship with Zuma, would be dealt with the same way apartheid was.

“We are colonised by a family. We did not send them love letters. We cannot have a situation where our country is controlled by one family - the Guptas. We are going to take action against them,” he said.

Malema went as far as to suggest that the Gupta family were likely to fund the out of court settlement offer by Zuma in the Constitutional Court this week.

“Where is he going to get the money from? It is from this corrupt family?” he asked.

Malema said their campaign against the Gupta family was to show to the international investors they (the EFF) are “stopping Zuma from collapsing our country”.

He also reminded Zuma it would not be business as usual during his State of the Nation Address next week, unless the president answers questions around his sacking of former minister of finance Nhlanhla Nene.

“When he removed Nene, the country lost billions of rands. We are taking this action to tell investors we are stopping this man (Zuma) from collapsing our country,” he said.

Moegsien Williams, editor-in-chief of The New Age and ANN7, said Malema’s threats were a violation of the constitution and called on “all freedom-loving democrats in South Africa” to condemn him.

“Malema, as an MP, has sworn to uphold the constitution, but violated the constitutional rights of the reporters on several issues.

“Apart from trampling on their dignity, he threatened violence against them in a manner that amounted to hate speech,” Williams said.

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The Star

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