Malema tells Zondo to give him date and time to submit his financial records

EFF leader Julius Malema says he wants a date and time from the chairperson of the inquiry into state capture, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, so he can submit his financial records.

A confident Malema said this while addressing a jovial crowd, which had gathered at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Malema and MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi are on trial for the alleged assault of Lieutenant-Colonel Johannes Jacobus Venter at the Fourways Memorial Cemetery during the funeral of struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela on 14 April 2018.

In his address following court proceedings, he said it was not about being in power and receiving tenders, but rather about liberating the minds of African children.

Malema said he was aware that Zondo apparently wanted to look into his financial records.

“Zondo must give me a date and time and I will send him a copy [of my financial statements]. I am not scared of anything. Zondo, don’t come to me through newspapers.

“If you are a man, face me straight, come to me straight [and] ask for my bank details straight,” the EFF leader said.

The Sunday Times recently reported that the commission had broadened its investigation and wanted to look into Malema’s records as well as his wife, Mantoa, his late grandmother, Sarah, his lawyer, Ian Levitt, the Ratanang Family Trust, as well as a number of companies linked to him.

The commission reportedly issued subpoenas to major banks to investigate Malema’s records.

Malema said Zondo “was not Jesus Christ”.

“He is a human like us and [if] he wants me, he will find me. If he wants to use the commission we have established ourselves to further the political agenda of [Pravin Gordhan] and Cyril Ramaphosa, we will expose him for who he is.”

He said: “They tried me before, they took everything from me before, they thought they will finish me. [I] am standing solid now with a nice tie. They can go die. I defeated them before, I will defeat them again.”

The leader also talked about corruption, charging that ANC members were being arrested by the Hawks “one by one”.

He said the Hawks should “start at Ramaphosa’s house first”.

Malema challenged Ramaphosa to disclose documents relating to his CR17 campaign.

The president had argued that the campaign had not benefitted him personally, but was a broader project to benefit the country and the ANC.

He added that the benefit to him, other than becoming president, was indirect, News24 reported.

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