By Moloko Moloto, Dianne Hawker, Piet Rampedi and Michelle Pietersen
Johannesburg - While Julius Malema’s supporters are planning to mount a protest action outside the court, his detractors are preparing a counter-march to demand that the erstwhile youth leader be denied bail when he appears in court in Polokwane this week.
His critics celebrated and welcomed the news that he was facing arrest.
Boy Mamabolo, Malema’s arch-rival, told The Sunday Independent: “People are happy. We celebrated the whole night on Friday with fireworks.”
He said he was organising a march outside the Polokwane Regional High Court this week when Malema appears.
“We will demand that he not be granted bail. Once this is confirmed, there will be a motorcade in the township and a big bash.”
By on Saturday Malema allies were rallying his supporters to participate in a night vigil outside the court.
“Everyone is encouraged to assemble in Polokwane from Tuesday night,” said youth league provincial secretary Jacob Lebogo.
Lebogo was certain the charges against Malema were part of a greater political plot.
“The timing is highly questionable... Limpopo has been a target. Last year, seven days before the provincial conference, the provincial government was put under administration. Now two weeks before nominations [for the ANC presidency] open, he is being charged,” Lebogo said.
He was confident people would come from across the country to support “the commander-in-chief of freedom fighters”.
ANCYL chairman in North West Papiki Baboile said: “The feeling among the branches is that this is unfair. Why is this happening now when we are going to Mangaung? They have known about these charges for two years.”
Mandla Seopela, a member of Friends of the Youth League, said they would stand by Malema.
“The bottom line is we knew this was coming,” he said.
Seopela said there would be a night vigil in Polokwane before his court appearance.
“We did that with [Jacob] Zuma. We organised people from Musina, with no food on the way, to KZN,” he said.
This was in reference to Zuma’s court appearances before his corruption charges were dropped by the NPA in 2009.
“What motivates us is that we still have an independent judiciary in this country.”
Suspended ANCYL secretary- general Sindiso Magaqa believes the charges were trumped up to serve political purposes.
“There is nothing substantive about these charges, they are brought to fight political battles in the ANC,” he said.
Magaqa, speaking as a member of the Friends of the Youth League, told e.tv he did not know what charges Malema would face.
Malema’s allies were not shaken, because they knew there was “an orchestrated campaign to silence him”, he said.
The timing of the warrant – two weeks before nominations open ahead of the ANC elective conference in Mangaung and shortly after the Marikana shooting – raised suspicions about the intentions behind it.
Magaqa said the battle for economic liberation would not be stopped by the arrest warrant.
“We are focusing our programme. We will be in each and every mine, each and every society agitating people to liberate themselves so their children will be economically liberated.”
An ANC leader, who has a legal background, said: “It’s going to take years for this case to reach a conclusion as with most criminal cases. We are going to see the same situation as with Zuma with things like applications and counter-applications and internal orders being submitted which will lengthen the case.
“By the end of 2013 I’m convinced this will come to nothing. The timing of the warrant for his arrest is obviously strange. Everyone said it would be done next year. So that’s the issue going forward – claims and counter-claims. Zuma’s supporters will say there’s no smoke without fire and Malema’s will hit back saying it’s a conspiracy.”
A former ANC Youth League leader said: “The issues around Malema’s financial dealings have been in the public domain for some time. This notion that it’s a conspiracy is nonsensical. So I don’t see leaders of the ANC taking any special interest. It’s not the same as with Zuma. Zuma was a member of the ANC at the time. Malema is no longer a member.”
Spokesman for the ANCYL in Joburg, Sasabona Manganye, said: “We have not formally met yet but obviously our view is that we are sensing a level of abuse of state resources against those critical of President Zuma.”
Most Limpopo allies of Malema fear the Hawks might go after them. Some went to ground on Friday. Most key businesspeople who deposited money into the Ratanang Family Trust have failed to co-operate with the Hawks. Some were allegedly given or offered tenders by municipalities run by Malema allies.
On Friday cellphone numbers of most allies did not answer.
Additional reporting by Sapa
Sunday Independent