The EFF’s honeymoon with the ANC is over
It is clear that the future of the coalitions between the EFF and DA in the Tshwane and Johannesburg metros are also doomed.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
The respect the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) gave President Cyril Ramaphosa at the start of his presidency has reached an end as the opposition party vows to challenge the president over payments allegedly made to his son by Bosasa.
And it has become clear that the coalitions between the EFF and Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Tshwane and Johannesburg metropolitan councils are also doomed.
EFF leader Julius Malema accused the DA of running a campaign portraying his party as corrupt, including an SMS campaign in which it was claimed in a recorded voice message that the EFF had stolen VBS Bank money.
An angry Malema also made it clear that the honeymoon between his party and Ramaphosa was over.
He said the EFF would treat the president in the same way it treated former president Jacob Zuma. This was interpreted to mean they would disrupt his state of the nation address.
He claimed Ramaphosa had lied in parliament by giving contradictory answers regarding the payment of R500,000 to his son Andile by Bosasa, now known as African Global Operations.
Ramaphosa changed an earlier statement he gave in parliament in response to a question by the DA’s Mmusi Maimane that his son was legitimately paid through his business for a job performed as a service provider to Bosasa.
The president said if the information given to him by his son was false, he would personally take him to the police station to be arrested.
He also vowed he would ensure that none of his children was involved in providing services to government again.
Ramaphosa later returned to parliament to apologise, saying, in fact, the money had been a donation to his ANC election campaign and that he was personally unaware of the donation.
Malema demanded the president make a public statement about the Bosasa payment before the next parliamentary sitting.
“Let the clean man produce a contract between Bosasa and his son,” Malema said. “The president … promised to pay back the money … ask him where is proof of payment for the R500,000.”
Similarly, the ANC, which also promised to pay back the VBS bank money, had not done so.
The EFF leader alleged Ramaphosa was deeply involved in the Bosasa bribery scandal and challenged the president to subject himself to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
Ramaphosa has not been implicated during the week-long testimony by former Bosasa chief operating officer Angelo Agrizzi.
Agrizzi has named Zuma, Environmental Affairs Minister Nomvula Mokonyane, ANC MP Vincent Smith and a slew of senior government officials for allegedly receiving bribes.
Malema implied the EFF supported the commission as it had spent millions of rands to ensure it was established.
– ericn@citizen.co.za
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