Malema calls for Mantashe, Mokonyane arrests over Bosasa saga

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says ANC national chair and Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe and former minister Nomvula Mokonyane must be arrested for the Bosasa saga.

He also claimed President Cyril Ramaphosa had used state power to purge his opponents within the ANC and was coming for his opponents outside the party.

“But he must come for us, we are ready for him,” Malema said.

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He claimed the president was among the ANC leaders who put pressure on the Hawks to arrest certain people, including himself. But Malema claimed to have told his sources to first come up with concrete evidence on this issue.

Malema asked why Mantashe and Mokonyane were not arrested because their crimes were the same as those of former ANC MP Vincent Smith, who had been charged.

“Why is Mantashe not arrested, because the crime of Mantashe is the same as that of Smith? Mokonyane’s problems are the same as those of Smith.

“Why are they not arrested, if you want us to take this prosecuting authority seriously. It is a factional prosecuting authority,” Malema said.

The Commission of Inquiry into State Cape previously heard that Mantashe’s house was fitted with video cameras by Bosasa and Mokonyane allegedly received gifts in addition to regular payments from the Bosasa bosses.

Both Mantashe and Mokonyane denied the allegations before the commission.

Smith was charged along with former Bosasa chief operating officer Angelo Agrizzi on charges of corruption. Senior former correctional services executives were also charged, but most senior ANC politicians have yet to face the law in this matter.

Malema said putting Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on special leave was itself corruption because it was contrary to decisive action.

He asked how Mkhize could pay back the money given to Digital Vibes through corrupt means if he was not guilty, saying: “He must pay it back because he took it.”

He also took a swipe at the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) for displaying what he called a bad attitude regarding the calls for the 27 October local government elections to be postponed.

He alleged IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo was a friend of ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile and that commission chair Glen Mashinini was aligned to the ANC.

“The attitude of the IEC is that of a person who has political protection. That is very unfortunate,” Malema said.

He said the IEC should be open to persuasion about whether the October elections should be postponed or not and that it had refused to postpone the polls because it was politically compromised.

On the VBS Mutual Bank corruption issue, Malema said Brian Shivambu, brother of EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu, had reached a compromise with VBS or Vele to pay back the R4 million illegally given to him by the bank.

“It does not mean Brian is admitting guilt,” he said.