Malema, the quote machine

Johannesburg - Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema was on a roll again on Thursday, addressing the media on many topics, ranging from the "Gupta mafia" to how "unstable" President Jacob Zuma is. Below are the highlights of the briefing, in quotes.

- On his friend-turned-foe: "The man [Zuma] is not stable."

- On President Jacob Zuma's proposal this week to pay back some of the Nkandla money: "He [Zuma] must tell us where he is going to get the money from."

"Zuma being Zuma writes to us and copies judges so that he can influence judges, so that when we arrive at court, the judges already see him as a reasonable man."

"I'm happy we were able to see this crook even before he is attempting to do things [which are] unacceptable."

- On the influential Gupta family: "We are not going to allow the Guptas to masquerade as geniune business people. They are not."

"We are not going to allow South Africa to be sold over a plate of curry."

"Gupta journalists, please don't come to our events."

"There is just this one man who is working with one family, destroying the country."

"I wouldn't be scared of Guptas."

- On DA leader Mmusi Maimane: "We will never be led by Maimane... we are Maimane's leaders.

"Maimane is a young man, We have been in this game for a long time."

"I'm not going to be led by a person from church just straight into politics."

- On his court battle with SA Revenue Services: "There is no Sars which has taken me to court. I have taken Sars to court."

"Sars is creating the impression they are untouchable. I have a problem with people who think they are untouchable."

"[Sars] inherited that Afrikaner attitude. They've got an attitude that they must close down every black man... when it involves a black person, they go for guilty."

- On ANN7: "I speak to people on the ground directly. I don't need BBC or ANN7.

"We're not media hungry. We are on the ground. We are in village. We are working very hard, quietly.

"I don't need the media to communicate with the people of SA."

This article first appeared on News24 – see here.