/ 4 February 2016

Guptas must go, says EFF

The illegal occupants of land in Nellmapius
The illegal occupants of land in Nellmapius

The money that President Jacob Zuma has pledged to pay for the upgrades to his personal residence in Nkandla will in all likelihood come from the Gupta family, Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema alleged during a chaotic press conference held at his party’s headquarters in Braamfontein on Thursday.

Malema said South Africa could no longer afford to be held to ransom by one politically connected family that he labelled a “corrupt cartel” with “mafia” tendencies.

Said Malema: “The Guptas must leave the country with immediate effect. We are tired of talking about the Guptas and will take remedial action. We cannot have a situation where corrupt people are known and nothing is done. All people do is tweet about it and this is an indication of a lazy society. It’s time to battle and go to war with the Guptas.”

Malema also issued a warning to all Gupta-linked entities, namely the New Age newspaper and television news channel ANN7, saying they were propaganda machines and would no longer be allowed to cover any EFF events as their safety could not be guaranteed.

The EFF also rejected Zuma’s settlement offer on the pending Constitutional Court challenge relating to the Nkandla upgrades, saying they would only recognise an offer that abides by all the recommendations made by the public protector.

Zuma has breached the Constitution and his oath of office by not carrying out the remedial actions in the public protector’s report, which were binding, said Malema.

On Tuesday, the EFF will march to the Constitutional Court in support of its court application and to push for the banishment of the Guptas.

“Ready yourself for action,” said Malema, who also accused the South African Revenue Service (Sars) of backtracking on its decision to recognise his tax settlement.

He had challenged Sars in court and won, the “commander-in-chief” said, but the revenue service is a “corrupt institution” that takes “political instruction”.