EFF probe is a game-changer

The Commission of Inquiry into State Capture is changing the political landscape by investigating Julius Malema, Floyd Shivambu and family members.

Until now, state capture has been portrayed as an ANC show, starring former president Jacob Zuma and the Guptas. Zuma and the Guptas were indeed central to former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s 2016 report, A State of Capture, which led to the establishment of the Zondo commission. But the ANC is not the only party using political influence to plunder South African taxpayers’ money.

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leaders are accused of similar conduct. Proper airing of the allegations against them would dispel the myth that the red berets are corruption-busters. In 2014, when Zuma was grilled in parliament about millions spent on his Nkandla homestead, the EFF popularised the chant “pay back the money!”.

If allegations against them are true, EFF leaders will soon face the same demand. More than a year ago, award-winning journalist Pauli van Wyk detailed how Malema and Shivambu appeared to be beneficiaries of funds looted from VBS Mutual Bank.

This week Dewald van Rensburg, author of VBS: A Dream Defrauded said in a radio interview that Shivambu “faces a very real prospect of being arrested”. He said there was “very, very compelling evidence that, at the very least, money ended up at the EFF and at Floyd Shivambu that was not legitimately earned”. Such stories have not elicited much reaction. That could change if Malema and Shivambu appear before Raymond Zondo.

As Stephen Grootes wrote in the Daily Maverick this week, if the mounting evidence were “to be read into the record at the Zondo commission under oath, the impact could be explosive – particularly if witness evidence was led against them. And should Malema and Shivambu be cross-examined or called to testify, the pressure on them would be immense”.

The Zondo commission subpoenaed major banks, instructing them to hand over EFF leaders’ financial records. A bank source told the Sunday Times that commission investigators “want to know whether the persons have any account facilities with the bank.

They also want the bank to specify whether the person was using internet banking … they want to see which cellphone number was receiving the transaction notifications. They want full details about whether accounts were closed and where the funds were deposited. They want all records of forex transactions”.

Transactions being investigated “relate to a number of state contracts”. The muscle-flexing National Prosecuting Authority will have access to the same documents. A clearer picture of EFF corruption would help settle arguments about their suitability as coalition partners.

Prevailing wisdom says coalition is the only way a future South Africa can be governed. Racism, thuggery and violent rhetoric have not been enough to disenthrall those touting the EFF, which some perceive as still a better potential partner than the corrupt, incompetent ANC.

This despite detailed allegations that the EFF scored hundreds of millions under political cover in metros they were allowed to influence. Malema says he has nothing to hide. (Echoes of Zuma). Let’s see how he performs in front of Zondo. Game on.

Martin Williams, DA councillor and former editor of The Citizen.

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