‘We supported EFF even though we knew Malema is corrupt as hell’

Black First Land First (BLF) leader Andile Mngxitama took to Twitter on Sunday to campaign for his party ahead of next year’s general elections.

He believes people should vote for the BLF because they plan to take down white monopoly capital (WMC).

He explained that this should be the primary aim of any party fighting for black interests, and that this was also why he joined the EFF ahead of the 2014 elections because he believed Julius Malema’s party was fighting WMC.

He admitted he’d been aware that Malema was “corrupt”, since there were numerous charges against him related to his time in the ANC, but that was not the primary concern.

Mngxitama wrote that he was aware Malema had “bankrupted Limpopo” and it should not have been possible for him to build a multimillion-rand house in Sandton on a salary of just R20 000.

“We didn’t care because that’s not the central contradiction,” he explained.

He informed his followers that he and his supporters had always known Malema was “corrupt as hell”. He also made reference to charges that Malema’s Ratanang Family Trust was a beneficiary of questionable tenders given to On-Point Engineering in a deal that involved building bridges and roads, which then public protector Thuli Madonsela found to be corrupt.

At least one bridge was washed away in the rain.

Mngxitama admitted Malema’s corruption “is a bad thing” but was not the “central contradiction”.

Mngxitama went on to complain that the corruption of the Guptas and former president Jacob Zuma (both of whom he has ardently supported for years) were always focused on by the press because it is doing the work of WMC.

At one point, he even alleged that the only way a black person can build any wealth in South Africa is by being corrupt, because that’s apparently the only way to bypass the system of financial control set up by white businesspeople such as Mngxitama’s long-time nemesis Johann Rupert.

Mngxitama often alleges that Britain’s Lord Robin Renwick is secretly running South Africa behind the scenes. When the former diplomat was in South Africa in April he denied he has ever been “some bogeyman pulling the strings, behind the scenes for ‘white monopoly capital’.”

He added that he believed the BLF and “similar propaganda organisations live in a world of fantasy”.

Minority rights union AfriForum announced last month that they wanted to privately prosecute Malema on fraud and tender corruption charges.

On-Point Engineering was appointed in 2009 by the Limpopo department of roads and transport for infrastructure development, but allegedly received bribes from successful tenderers.

“Because of the NPA’s failure to act further, on 19 March 2018, AfriForum sent a letter to the NPA in which it demanded the reinstatement of the prosecution. In reaction hereto, the NPA informed AfriForum in writing that the reinstatement of the charges against Malema is currently being considered and that a final decision will be taken by August 2018,” Nel said.

Nel said they would privately prosecute the EFF leader should the NPA decide not to reinstate the case against Malema and his co-accused, Kagiso Dichabe and Lesiba Gwangwa.

In 2012, Madonsela stated in a report compiled after receiving complaints about Malema’s involvement that the EFF leader improperly benefited from the contract.

But the matter was struck off the roll of the Polokwane High Court after one of Malema’s co-accused, Dichabe, fell ill and was not fit to stand trial.

“Tenders that were won went back into the account of Malema’s family trust. We think it’s a strong case to prosecute, and it is ludicrous that the NPA, two years and eight months later since it was struck, that it is not going ahead, and we believe it is time we intervene and make sure he is brought to book,” AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said.