Maimane’s no Zille, says Malema

Cape Town 15031 -Leaders of the opposition Julius Malema and Mmusi Maimane.at Parliment Picture Brenton Geach

Cape Town 15031 -Leaders of the opposition Julius Malema and Mmusi Maimane.at Parliment Picture Brenton Geach

Published Apr 24, 2015

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Durban - Asked if the DA’s parliamentary leader, Mmusi Maimane, would make a good leader of the party, Julius Malema said in an interview on Gagasi FM on Thursday night that it was for the DA to decide, but he had his reservations.

“I think Mmusi can make a very good principal; he’s not a politician … We are over the moon as the EFF because we won’t have serious competition – from Helen to Mmusi? It’s now us and the ANC and I think we’ll take it from there.”

He said his party would be around “for a very long time”.

“It is the fastest-growing political party in the country,” he said, adding that this would be made easier by the pending departure of DA leader Helen Zille.

Malema said this left the door open for the EFF.

“It means we are alone. It is us versus the ANC.”

During the hour-long interview, Malema responded to a series of questions from callers and said President Jacob Zuma should pay back just more than R50 million for upgrades done at his Nkandla home.

 

Malema was asked what Zuma should pay for Nkandla by a caller, who identified himself only as Mgibe, during Indaba, the show hosted by Alex Mthiyane.

Malema said he had no agenda against Zuma. The “pay back the money” slogan was simply an anti-corruption initiative.

“He must pay back R50-something-million, which is the non-security features in the Nkandla upgrades. The Special Investigating Unit identified those security features and the public protector (Thulu Madonsela) said every cent on non-security features had to be paid.”

In his response to Madonsela’s report in August last year, Zuma indicated that Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko needed to determine if he should pay back any of the money. Nhleko is yet to make the determination.

Malema is in Durban for a series of community engagements which will culminate in a Human Rights Day rally at the John Dube Stadium in Inanda on Monday.

 

The EFF leader also accused Sars of trying to get out of a deal he had with the revenue collector.

“They said to me I must give them R4m and before I do that I must produce a person who can serve as a guarantee that the money would be paid – and I introduced that person,” he said. “When the time came for the money to be paid, the person said he didn’t have the money, then I went to another person and that person paid for me because I don’t have that money.”

He said he had “paid all what I owed them”.

“It is political and the judge will deal with it on July 1. I’m not scared of Sars. I know that it is politically driven,” he said. “It’s on record.”

He said he would talk to people from informal settlements at the Inanda rally “as to what are the things that they think need to be done for them to fully enjoy the economic dispensation”.

“We want them to talk for themselves. What does 21 years of freedom mean to them because it is too much … The plight of the people living in shacks must be resolved.”

The Mercury

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