EFF leader Julius Malema will be appearing in an East London court on Monday on allegations of firing a firearm at the EFF's fifth anniversary celebrations at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in 2018. Picture: Phando Jikelo/African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town - EFF chief whip Floyd Shivambu says party leader Julius Malema was not in physical attendance at the budget speech as he's preparing for the firearm-related trial.
Red beret supporters marched to Parliament ahead of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s budget speech on Wednesday.
Shivambu indicated that the party’s commander in chief will be appearing in an East London court on Monday on allegations of firing a firearm at the EFF's fifth anniversary celebrations at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane in 2018.
Malema faces charges of illegal possession of firearms, contravention of the Firearms Control Act, the illegal possession of ammunition and reckless endangerment to persons or property.
“He is preparing the court case with the lawyers in Johannesburg.”
Shivambu said it is evident that individuals within the National Treasury are not in control of the department.
“The fact of the matter is that the black people who are in national treasury are not in control of national treasury.
“When the national treasury announced the loan from the World Bank, both the minister and deputy minister of finance were not aware.
“It is clear that there is a clique within the national treasury that is in control and even takes dangerous decisions, like taking loans from the World Bank and the IMF… and of course, with the approval of [President Cyril] Ramaphosa,” Shivambu said.
He referred to the president as a “puppet of white capitalists”.
Video: Tarryn-Leigh Solomons/ IOL Politics
Shivambu said: “He is controlled by them everywhere… and it is not only the domestic capitalists that control him, even the global capitalist system controls him.”
Furthermore he referred to the World Bank and the IMF’s bail out loans as “nonsensical and foolish”.
“These are instruments that are meant to control the policy direction of South Africa. We must never permit such to happen,” Shivambu stressed.
tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za
Political Bureau
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