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After a tense week in which the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) turned up the heat in their stance on Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, party leader Julius Malema has told City Press that while Gordhan was useful in fighting former president Jacob Zuma, he now had to be “crushed” for his “white monopoly corruption”.
Malema said the EFF “never loved” Gordhan.
Last week the EFF went to war against the former finance minister, protesting outside the venue of the Zondo commission hearings, where he was testifying.
This drew the ire of the ANC and other organisations, who feel that Gordhan was being vilified for fighting corruption. The SA Communist Party (SACP) went further, saying that it was aware of a rogue intelligence unit which was releasing information on Gordhan.
The red berets previously called for Gordhan to be defended when he was under pressure from Zuma, his supporters and the Hawks, and when he was fired by the former president. Things changed this year when the EFF took their war to Gordhan and demanded that he step down.
Malema said the party had always emphasised that Gordhan represented white monopoly capital.
“There was never love between the EFF and Pravin. We were dealing with Zuma’s corruption, which he wanted to speed up during the removal of Pravin.
“We said ‘We are not going to allow you, [Zuma]’. We successfully removed him,” Malema told City Press on the sidelines of the EFF’s manifesto consultation assembly with black professionals in Sandton on Friday.
Malema said the EFF’s plan was to crush Gordhan’s corruption, which involved white monopoly capital.
“I said when you have got Pravin and you have got Zuma, Pravin becomes a better devil. Now, Zuma is no longer there, so you have dealt with the worst devil. You are now dealing with what is referred to as a better devil. That is what we are dealing with now. We have always emphasised that Pravin represents white monopoly capital.”
The EFF has accused Gordhan of lying in Parliament.
It wants him to answer questions about how he was appointed finance minister by Zuma, and it has also made accusations about his daughter’s involvement in business, which he has refuted.
SACP first deputy general secretary Solly Mapaila said Gordhan was targeted for collapsing the Gupta project.
He pointed fingers at a rogue intelligence unit, saying it was responsible for releasing snippets of information on Gordhan.
“The rogue intelligence unit has targeted key people. At the core of Pravin’s function, when he was minister of finance, was his stringent attack on the Gupta project.
“You can see the manner in which information flows that those forces are controlling the strings from behind. That is the thing we need to cut decisively.”
Mapaila said there was a need to transform the security cluster which had been largely complicit in the corruption that has taken place in the country.
“Instead of fighting against it, they have joined the train of corruption.”
Mapaila said a fightback had been unleashed on those who were fighting against corruption.
He described the attacks on Gordhan as unwarranted and misleading.
“We want to assure him and other South Africans who are committed to fighting against corruption that they must not retreat and think that if you come out you get attacked.”
The ANC also lashed out at the EFF, accusing the red berets of using Gordhan as a “decoy” and “deflection” to move the spotlight away from them.
Zizi Kodwa, head of the ANC presidency, said: “It [the attack on Gordhan by the EFF] is to take away the spotlight from them and, in the main, to fool South Africans that they themselves are not on trial.” The EFF was facing many problems, he said.
“In fact, they are unable to resolve their problems. If we were to put the DA and EFF in one room they will be breaking their teeth because the marriage of convenience has broken down. They are unable even to contain it, but they are using the ANC, to blame it for their own problems.”
The fallout between the DA and EFF deepened last week when the DA laid criminal charges against Malema and his deputy, Floyd Shivambu, following allegations that the party was paid R1.8 million through corrupt means from the now defunct VBS Mutual Bank.
Mapaila said the EFF has taken a posture of intimidating all possible participants in the commission of inquiry into state capture.
“It shows lack of principle that one day they stand for this, tomorrow they stand for something else.”
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