Malema gets blue-light protection – report

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema is reportedly getting blue-light protection.

The Sowetan reported on Tuesday that South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Vish Naidoo confirmed that Malema was receiving VIP police protection.

Earlier this year, following the EFF’s statement sometime in April that the party was taking allegations of an assassination plot against Malema very seriously, Police Minister Bheki Cele requested the police commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, to investigate the allegations.

The Sowetan reported on Tuesday that Malema’s car was spotted being escorted by a white BMW with blue lights in the vicinity of parliament last week.

Confirming to the publication, Naidoo said the police had followed due processes resulting in Malema receiving the blue light protection, adding that he could not give further details on the EFF leader’s protection due to security reasons.

The spokesperson of the red berets, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, said the police had independently assessed the situation and concluded, just like the EFF had, that Malema’s life was under threat.

When the EFF first made mention of threats on Malema’s life earlier this year, it had said that it had been alerted to “nefarious and evil plans to assassinate the commander-in-chief and president of the Economic Freedom Fighters” and were “not taking the threats lightly”.

This led Malema to have discussions with Cele over the allegations.

It was reported at the time that the red berets tightened their security following the allegations.

In their statement, the EFF said: “The covert plans come from reliable sources who indicate that a small group of politically insecure and insane individuals from the North West province have approached drug dealers and assassins in different provinces, particularly in the Western Cape, to assassinate the EFF president.

“The threats from this group of politically insecure and insane individuals are informed by the fact that the EFF is on the verge of politically defeating the ANC in the North West Province, and other provinces in the upcoming general elections. These threats are real and should not be taken lightly because the North West is one of the provinces known for mysterious and unresolved political killings.

“These security threats also form part of several threats coming from right-wing forces, who use social media, private caller identities, and fake email platforms to pose death threats against the leadership of the EFF. These threats are largely linked to the EFF’s uncompromising and decisive leadership of the struggle for land expropriation without compensation and the relentless war against racism.”

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