Ramaphosa won't fire Gordhan because 'white people say so' - Malema

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema spoke at a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Braamfontein on Tuesday about what he saw as double standards in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s treatment of Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan.

The reason behind this, according to Malema, is that the president cares too much about the views of white South Africans.

“You hate everything white people say is not right, and you agree with everything they say is right,” he said.

Malema then repeated his often-made assertion that “the Rothschilds” were in control of South Africa.

“There is a Fireblade at the airport right now, but nothing is happening,” he said, referring to the Oppenheimer family’s company Fireblade Aviation’s controversial private terminal at OR Tambo international airport.

While it is the Oppenheimers, not the Rothschilds, who are involved in Fireblade controversy, the Rothschilds are often invoked by the EFF and others as a representing white monopoly capital as a whole.

Malema feels Ramaphosa’s firing of former South African Revenue Services commission Tom Moyane and advocates Jiba and Mrwebi and refusal to act against Gordhan shows the president’s alleged bias towards white interests.

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane released a report finding that Gordhan had irregularly approved the early retirement of former Sars deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay, calling on the president to take remedial action against the minister.

Gordhan’s lawyer Tebogo Malatji has said the public protector’s findings “are totally wrong both in fact and in law”.

Gordhan filed a review application in the High Court in Pretoria in May to have the report and its findings set aside.

Ramaphosa’s office has said it would only take action against Gordhan following the outcome of this requested review, but Mkhwebane’s office said the president should act now rather than wait.

Elsewhere in Malema’s address at the press conference, a question about former finance minister Trevor Manuel led to Malema once again calling into question the appointment of Sars commissioner Edward Kieswetter, despite a recent court finding that his and his party’s utterances about Manuel and Kieswetter were defamatory.

Manuel was appointed by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni as head of a panel that advised the president on who the new Sars commissioner should be following his firing of Tom Moyane.

“The whole process of the Sars Commissioner was unfair,” Malema said.

“The reason they want to maintain control of Sars is because it is the only weapon they can use against their enemies, a weapon used to fight the opponents of white monopoly capital.”

“Trevor Manuel has always served white capital,” Malema alleged, adding that his work for the Rothschild company confirmed this.

“Now he is accused of a triple conflict of interest, which is exactly what we raised earlier,” Malema continued, referring to accusations made by axed Old Mutual CEO Peter Moyo against Manuel, who is the company’s chairperson.

“Trevor can kick and scream and win the court cases, but facts don’t change,” Malema continued.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.

Ramaphosa won’t fire Gordhan because ‘white people say so’ – Malema

For more news your way