Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema has dismissed the notion that a court battle over unpaid taxes could see him lose his seat in Parliament, the Sunday Times reported.
“I am in Parliament at least for the next five years,” he told the newspaper.
“You have to live with that nightmare for the next five years.”
In an interview, Malema said he did not see the possibility of having to give up his seat.
“I think it is safe to say all has been taken care of”.
Regarding the steps he would take to settle the outstanding R16-million tax bill, he said: “for now, I don’t think they’re of serious concern”.
Speaking about himself in the third person, he said, “… Julius Malema leaving as leader of the EFF. I am saying it will never happen.”
Will oppose sequestration
On Friday, Malema’s lawyer Tumi Mokwena said his client would oppose a final sequestration of his estate.
Malema has until 10am on Monday to provide the high court in Pretoria with reasons why his provisional sequestration should not be made final.
A final sequestration order will mean Malema will not be allowed to serve as a member of Parliament.
In April, a trust was launched to collect funds to settle his tax bill, but it is not clear if there are now sufficient funds to pay the bill.
According to court documents, Malema owed the South African Revenue Service R16-million, plus interest, after failing to submit tax returns between 2006 and 2010.
This week, Malema, wearing red overalls and gumboots, was sworn in as an MP in the first sitting of the fifth democratic Parliament in Cape Town.
On Sunday, Malema said that the presence of his new political party would ensure Parliament was “robust” and “exciting”.
“We will make our radical proposals and we will firmly put the EFF economic agenda on the table,” he told the paper.
However, he said that he was “not an entertainer”, but a politician.
“Parliament is not a circus,” he said. – Sapa