Julius Malema
Johannesburg - EFF leader Julius Malema was confident of beating looming fraud, corruption, money-laundering, and racketeering charges against him, he said on Monday.
"I do not fear anything, because I know I've not done anything wrong," Malema told journalists outside the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. He was referring to his pending trial, to be heard from 30 September to 3 October at the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane.
"I do not fear anything, because I know I've not done anything wrong," Malema told journalists outside the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. He was referring to his pending trial, to be heard from 30 September to 3 October at the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane.
It is alleged that he made nearly R4m from corrupt activities. "You know, if I had done anything wrong, I will be scared of the state and I will not take on the state in the manner which I've done because... I've got no case [to answer]," he said.
"The people who were charged with me, that they've bribed me with one million [rand] of buying that farm which they sold, those people were trialled and were acquitted."
On 27 March, it was reported that three of five of Malema's co-accused had been acquitted on corruption charges in the Mokopane Regional Court.
"The court dismissed the case on the basis that the evidence presented by the State could not sustain the charges," defence lawyer Isaac Raphele, for the accused, reportedly said at the time.
Selby Manthata, his wife Helen Moreroa and his brother Makgetsi Manthata were acquitted on 26 March.
Malema said it appeared the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) would use the same facts to prosecute him, even though they had already failed.
"I've written representations to the NPA using the facts of the same case where the NPA lost against my co-accused," Malema said.
"They took eight months to respond to me and then when President [Jacob] Zuma said to [National Director of Public Prosecutions head Mxolisi] Nxasana 'Give me reasons why I should not suspend you', Nxasana then wrote a letter to me, instead of writing to President Zuma."
‘I’m chasing your enemy’
Malema said Nxasana's letter stated that he would continue with the case against the EFF leader as Nxasana felt Malema had a case to answer.
"For sure, he copied that letter to Zuma. 'I'm chasing your enemy. Why do you want to remove me when I'm on your enemy's case?'. But these courts don't work like that." The presidency said on 15 August that Zuma and Nxasana had met to discuss various matters around the president's intention to hold an enquiry into the NDPP's fitness to hold office.
Earlier this month, Zuma notified Nxasana that he was considering suspending him pending an inquiry into his fitness to hold office.
Malema said what the court wanted to know was the facts.
"At least we still have judiciary in South Africa, which Zuma didn't contaminate with his corruption tendencies," he said.
"The judiciary is still independent and looking at matters through the facts presented before it, and we are going to walk in Polokwane.
"Remember we are the ones who have been insisting that the case must be heard by a judge and they've been playing monkey tricks, delaying tactics because they've got no case against us."
Malema was at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday for the extension of the provisional sequestration order against him, with the court extending the order to 1 December.
