Ramaphosa must stop being a coward and act against Gordhan – Malema
EFF leader Julius Malema says the public protector's office might as well be be closed if 'one can interdict remedial actions willy-nilly.'
EFF leader Julius Malema is seen addressing his supporters outside the North Gauteng High Court after the matter between Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, 23 July 2019, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
President Cyril Ramaphosa must stop being a coward and act against Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, EFF leader Julius Malema told supporters outside the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday.
Malema, alongside his second-in-command Floyd Shivambu, EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee, and other high-profile members showed their support in court for Mkhwebane.
In regular fashion, Malema took to the podium after court proceedings to express his views regarding the apparent head-to-head between Mkhwebane and Gordhan.
He criticised Ramaphosa’s decision to interdict Mkhwebane’s findings.
“We are here to say, if one can interdict the remedial actions willy-nilly, we may as well close the office of the Public Protector.
“Nobody should be above the constitution and no one is above the law.”
Malema maintains Mkhwebane gave the necessary steps Ramaphosa needed to take remedial action.
Malema: We came to court because the Public Protector found that Pravin Gordhan and his friends founded an illegal intelligence unit called the Rogue Unit.
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) July 23, 2019
“We brought them to court because they violated the constitution. And we want the president to take decisive action in dealing with Pravin. Pravin must be fired.”
Gordhan has applied to urgently interdict the public protector’s report finding him guilty of having violated the constitution through his alleged involvement in the so-called Sars “rogue unit.” He maintains there was nothing “rogue” about the intelligence unit that probed tax evasion and other tax frauds.
He lodged the urgent application to suspend Mkhwebane’s remedial orders, citing improper motives on her part.
(Compiled by Gopolang Moloko)
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