African National Congress Youth League leader Julius Malema was on Monday afternoon still listed as a director of SGL Engineering Projects — despite his claims to the contrary at a press conference earlier in the day.
A search of the SA Company database revealed he was appointed director of the company when it was registered as a closed corporation on May 12 2009.
The database shows Malema as being an “active” director, along with Lesiba Cuthbert Gwangwa.
Malema told reporters at a press conference in the lobby of Luthuli House in downtown Johannesburg: “Since my election as president of the ANC Youth League in 2008, I instructed my lawyers to process my resignations from all these corporations and companies … when I was based in Limpopo province.”
Malema has come under fire recently from newspapers reporting that he had a lavish lifestyle bankrolled by government contracts to companies he held an interest in.
Weekend reports stated that SGL Engineering Projects had apparently won contracts worth more than R140-million in Limpopo, where the company was based.
The SA Company database had Malema on Monday listed as not only being a director SGL but also of three other companies, all of them closed corporations.
He was the sole member of 101 Junjus Trading, appointed on January 23 2007.
The second company he was involved in as director was Blue Nightingale Trading 61. The list showed him as being appointed director on January 19 2006.
Both these companies are still in business.
Malema was also listed as co-director of Ever Roaring Investments with Mathias Mathews Mathabatha, Mmalehu Onicca Kwakwa, Nomvula Pamela Mhlari and Treasure Poseletso Kekana.
Malema was appointed director on September 8 2006, and was still listed as “active”.
The database showed he had resigned from only one company — Nkgape Mining Investments — as director. This was on April 12 2006.
The database is updated monthly. According to the website, it was last updated in February 2010.
Malema could not be reached for comment on Monday afternoon.
‘You are out of order. Fuck you’
Malema said on Monday his lawyers had confirmed that he was no longer a director of any company.
“They re-assured me that they had removed me.”
Asked about this in the afternoon, Malema’s lawyer Tumi Mokwena said he had received the instruction from Malema to terminate the directorships.
“This happened somewhere in 2008. He said he did not want to have an interest in any company any longer.”
The fact that Malema was still listed as a director of SGL would be investigated, Mokwena said.
ANCYL spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said: “He [Malema] gave the orders to the lawyers, whether the database was updated is not our problem.”
He said he took exception to the fact that a journalist who did not attend the morning briefing contacted him about the issue.
“You are out of order. Fuck you,” Shivambu said before putting down the phone.
Malema told the press conference that he took “serious exception” to the press reports.
“Spreading lies and rumours that I have millions [of rands] puts both me and my family in danger as criminals might believe the lies and resort to criminal victimisation against myself and my family with the hope that I have money.”
He said “R100-million can be asked in ransom if my child was abducted”.
“I will take legal action against the Star newspaper and consider doing the same with other newspapers.”
The Star published a report into Malema’s seemingly opulent lifestyle on February 19.
Malema said if the South African Revenue Service or other legitimate body requested details of his financial affairs, he would provide them.
‘Reprehensible that Malema exploits the poor’
Meanwhile, Malema has come under severe fire from youth organisations for his luxurious lifestyle, and the way he funds it.
AfriForum Youth on Monday asked the Public Protector to launch an investigation into the numerous tenders awarded to Julius Malema’s company, SGL Engineering Projects.
According to Ernst Roets, chairperson of the youth forum, the awarding of tenders to the value of millions of rands to a person with political influence is already unethical and an investigation is necessary to determine whether the awarding of the tenders was also done in an illegal manner.
“It is reprehensible that Malema exploits the poor to gain political influence, while enriching himself in a dubious manner from funds earmarked for service delivery to the very same poor,” Roets added.
The Inkatha Freedom Party Youth Brigade was beating a similar drum, adding it feels the revelation that Malema made millions from government tenders is proof that that the ANC is rotten to the core and that the ANC’s jobs-for-pals-policy is bankrolling ANC politicians at the expense of the very people they claim to represent.
“Malema claims to represent the interests of the poorest of the poor but he has now been exposed as nothing more than a hypocrite,” said Pat Lebenya-Ntanzi the IFP Youth Brigade chair.
“Malema constantly reminds opposition parties that he is the sole voice of the marginalised, poor and oppressed but we are thankful that this has now been rubbished as nothing more than cheap, political rhetoric.” – Sapa