Ramaphosa doesn’t have billions, it’s a front – Malema

Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema shared his opinion on former Bosasa COO Angelo Agrizzi’s testimony at the Zondo Commission, saying he must expose all the corruption that he was involved in, and those who also took part in it. He said Agrizzi was right in exposing journalists who allegedly received money from Bosasa, though those same journalists were now trying to discredit him.

“Agrizzi is the enemy now. The reason he’s the enemy is because he said he’s got a list of journalists and now they’re saying we must not listen to him, but if he had said he gave Malema R2, they would have hailed him as an intelligent white man. Now they want to discredit him, Agrizzi and many others must expose corruption. He must not think he’s our friend, he’s a criminal. We want him to tell us everything and when he’s done, he must be arrested,” said Malema.

During his party’s election rally in Hammanskraal on Tuesday, the EFF leader also ripped into President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying he should pray to his ancestors that public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane finds him not guilty of lying under oath about the Bosasa “donation” he received for his campaign.

Should the public protector find that Ramaphosa lied under oath, the EFF leader said he should follow in the steps of former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene.

“He must go and slaughter those big cattle of his and he must pray to his ancestors that the public protector must not find that he lied under oath. Once the public protector says he lied under oath, we look the other way. He knows what he must do; he must call a press conference and give a nice speech: ‘Thank you for the opportunity, I now resign as the president of South Africa.'”

The EFF leader said it was time politicians be held accountable for their actions because it’s what South Africans deserved.

Though people thought Ramaphosa was different from former president Jacob Zuma, Malema said it was not so. Those who believed the president had money were also fed lies, said the EFF leader, who questioned why he accepted a R500,000 donation from Bosasa if he was a billionaire.

“You tell us that Cyril has money, he has billions. But here we are now, he said the first R500,000 was paid to his son, and the second for his campaign. But why did he take the R500,000 from Bosasa if he has millions? We were told Cyril has billions. He doesn’t have them, it’s a front. All these people you think have money, it’s not true, it’s Rupert and the Oppenheimers. All these people are fronts, how can you have money and still take R500,000? How do you take it when you’re [a] billionaire? It shows these people are fronting for white people. In South Africa, you’ll never be rich and powerful if the Oppenheimers don’t support you.”

Malema said it was time citizens knew that lies and politics were not one and the same as the “new culture” demanded that politicians answer “honourably and truthfully”.

“If they [politicians] fail to do so, they run a risk of being charged and removed from office. So we must not be politicians who lie. If they ask you a question, whether you’re drunk or sober, whether it’s the media or court, you must always answer truthfully. We’re introducing a culture of serving with honesty, because our people deserve that.”

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde)

Also read: Ramaphosa to meet with public protector about Bosasa ‘donation’

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