‘Opportunity to loot’: Malema says SANDF deployment waste of taxpayers’ money

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema says he believes the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was a waste of taxpayers’ money.

Malema briefed the media on Thursday, following the EFF’s national shutdown which took place earlier this week.

The SANDF, alongside the South African Police Service (Saps), was on standby as members of the EFF and other political parties took to the streets on Monday, demanding that President Cyril Ramaphosa resigned from office.

The army’s month-long deployment will end on 17 April.

‘Hallmark of dictatorship’

Speaking at the EFF’s headquarters in Johannesburg, Malema said the deployment of law enforcement agencies proved that the party’s protest was an “overwhelming success”.

“It was not business as usual,” he said.

“The object was always to get the message across and we did that successfully without destruction of property and without harming anyone.”

The EFF leader, however, condemned the SANDF’s “senseless and wasteful” deployment of the SANDF, claiming that it would cost taxpayers over R166 million.

“The state deployed the armed forces purely for the purpose of intimidation, and they did not succeed in their attempts, but this must concern South Africans who have an interest in a free democracy characterised by accountability.

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“The deployment of the military against opposition is the hallmark of dictatorship and is a sign of things to come as the ruling party edges closer to losing political power in South Africa.”

He questioned the rationality in deploying the army for 30 days.

“The national shutdown from the beginning was declared to be one day and as to a month deployment, I don’t understand what informs that,” the EFF leader said.

Malema suggested that the deployment may open the floodgates to corruption.

“[This] might be an opportunity for them to loot because in the army in many instances we never get to the bottom of how money is spent and that’s where it is very easy for a corrupt government to just exploit that opportunity and steal money.”

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has since asked the president to deploy the 3 474 soldiers to high crime areas across the country such as Krugersdorp.

“Seeing that the deployment of the SANDF lapses on 17 April, and that the state incurred an expenditure figure of R166 562 058 on this deployment, it would be a fruitless and wasteful expenditure if the members of the SANDF are not deployed to areas such as Hillbrow and Sunnyside, where human trafficking, drug trafficking, hijacking of buildings, production of counterfeit products, and many other crimes take place,” ATM president Vuyo Zungula said in a letter to Ramaphosa.

Nhlanhla Lux incident

Meanwhile, Malema asked about an allegation that EFF members were behind the petrol-bombing of Soweto Parliament leader Nhlanhla ‘Lux’ Mohlauli’s house.

“You [guys] want to reduce us to Netflix… we don’t make movies. We are not part of that mess,” he responded.

“Every layman will know that if you want to damage a window the [pieces of glass] will fall opposite from where the pressure came from. So if you hit a window form outside, the glass will fall inside the house [but in this instance] you found the [pieces of glass] outside meaning the [pressure] came from inside.”

Mohlauli claimed that two “petrol bombs” were thrown at his home in Soweto around 4am on Monday.

He said there were eight people in his home when the alleged bombs went off.

Police Minister Bheki Cele visited Mohlauli’s home following the incident.

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