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ERMELO, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 21: Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leaders Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu during the party’s Human Rights Day rally on March 21, 2018 in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Malema said white who want to migrate to Australia because of unhappiness with the land reform policies should go but leave “resources” behind. (Photo by Gallo Images / Sowetan / Veli Nhlapo)

Julius Malema accused of corruption and exploitation by former EFF members

Julius Malema is accused of wasting the party’s funds and sexually exploiting female members.

eff afriforum

ERMELO, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 21: Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leaders Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu during the party’s Human Rights Day rally on March 21, 2018 in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Malema said white who want to migrate to Australia because of unhappiness with the land reform policies should go but leave “resources” behind. (Photo by Gallo Images / Sowetan / Veli Nhlapo)

Julius Malema, the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) Commander in Chief has been accused of corruption and nepotism which has diluted the party’s founding principles.

This is according to a group of former EFF members, who had either resigned or had been expelled from the party’s Northern Cape chapter. The disillusioned group called a media briefing at the Kimberley Club, where it divulged information relating to Malema and his involvement in corruption within the party’s top management structures, both nationally and provincially.

The damning revelations have since been covered by The Citizen, which cites two main sources, namely, Olebogeng Leserwane, councillor for Ga Segonyana Local Municipality and former member of the Northern Cape legislature for the EFF, as well as Gabasale Mary Tongwane.

The above former EFF members, along with 16 others, chose to speak out against gross mismanagement, corruption and nepotism within the party and have offered evidence to South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, the Hawks.

Serious allegations levelled against Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu

Leserwane released the group’s official statement, made during the conference, to the media. In it he details his role within the party, stating:

“I am one of the co-founders of the EFF in the Northern Cape, we started the EFF in July 2013, Myself, George Nyakama, Danisile Seeco, Kabelo Mzolo, Ronald February, Mary Tongwane, Andre Nobel (First Provincial Co-ordinator), Mbuyiselo Matebese, Francis Thulo, Goetsimodimo Altar, Hilda Moremetsi and Mabatho Mokause and many others. We started the organisation from the ground UP during a time when it was not fashionable to be an EFF member.

It pains me to come to the conclusion that the EFF nationally as well as in the Province has failed as a vehicle of our people’s hopes for a balanced and deepening democracy.”

Division within the EFF

Leserwane goes on to state that deepening factionalism within the EFF is a result of corruptive collusion spearheaded by Malema and the party’s Deputy President, Floyd Shivambu. Leserwane explained:

“The divisions in the organisation emanated from Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu, the two are fighting over the resources of the organisation.

They have bought themselves V250’s using the organisations resources, they are exchanging girlfriends in the organisation, exploiting and abusing women, there is also an ambition from Floyd Shivambu to become the President of the EFF and this has clouded everything that he does in the organisation.”

Julius Malema and Shivambu accused of sexually exploiting women

In the statement, Leserwane paints Malema as a greedy dictator who rules by force. According to the group of disgruntled EFF members, anybody who disagrees with Malema is steamrolled and expelled from the organisation:

“The so called Commander in Chief has successfully zombified, the entire War Council, Central Command Team, the Provincial Command Teams as well as the EFF student command.

Everything he says, goes, when you ask you are sidelined and are disciplined in the organisation. There are many comrades who have suffered at the hands of this so called CIC.”

The statement goes further to accuse both Malema and Shivambu of sexually exploiting female EFF members, saying:

“The majority of the women who are deployed as councillors as well as at the head office are women who are having relationships with the leadership, namely with Floyd Shivambu and Julius Malema, they are rotated amongst these two, we can sight many examples of comrades also from our province, but we will refrain from doing this out of respect for women.”

The group also mentioned that the EFF’s top leadership had failed to divulge information regarding monthly expenditure of R3 million. Leserwane accused Malema of looting party funds, stating that the party leader had appointed his Girlfriend, Lee-Anne Mathius, to be Treasurer General.

Disgruntled EFF members promise to work with The Hawks

The group of disgraced EFF members have vowed to bring their findings to the Hawks and assist the investigative team with any inquiries into the party’s financial dealings. The statement points to dubious dealings and misinformation surrounding party funds, saying:

“We sit here with evidence that we are going to take to the Hawks to investigate this.

Since the formation of EFF, we have never received a financial report, both accounts, the FNB and the Standard Bank account has never been [revealed].

The leadership of the party have shown us the middle finger time and time again, they are unable to administer Party funds, to an extent that in our Province, we are with a regional and Provincial office who operate from the same office.

As members we have been subjected to a collective loss and lack of vision for our party by our national leadership, they say one thing and do the other, they wear Loius Vuitton underneath their red overalls.”

All the members who attended the media briefing have since been expelled from the EFF. The party has also denied all allegations tabled by the disgruntled group.

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