DA to report Malema to the Ethics Committee

10 September 2019

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has taken note of reports alleging that the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and a Member of Parliament, Mr. Julius Sello Malema, benefited from VBS funds through a VBS beneficiary, Mahuna Investments.

The DA has consulted the declaration of members’ interests for 2017 as well as 2018. Mr. Malema does not declare Mahuna Investments in any form for either of these years – not under Shares & Financial Interests, nor under Gifts & Hospitalities, nor even under Sponsorships or Benefits.

Members of Parliament take an oath of office swearing to uphold the Constitution and all other laws of the Republic. If the allegations that are being reported on turn out to be true, then Mr Malema would have broken the law not once but many times over, and would have acted against the very spirit of our Constitution which strives to ensure dignity and equality for all the people of South Africa.

The money that Mr Malema is reported to have splurged on luxuries such as hotels, horse races, and designer clothing, represent the life savings of thousands of South Africans who are otherwise extremely vulnerable and have very little means to support themselves in their day-to-day lives, let alone in their old age or retirement.

The allegations, if true, would show a callous disregard on Mr Malema’s side for the interests of the people that elected him to represent them, and expose him as a hypocrite of the highest order. Furthermore, this would mean that he had lied to Parliament by failing to take it into his confidence as far as his alleged connections with Mahuna Investments are concerned, and that he had broken the Code of Conduct for Members.

The DA already laid charges against Mr Malema and the rest of the EFF leadership on 22 November 2018, for their alleged involvement in the looting of money deposited with the VBS Bank. The DA can not however close its eyes to Mr Malema’s complete disregard for the institution of Parliament. We will therefore now also be reporting Mr. Malema to Parliament’s committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests, in order for this committee to investigate his non-compliance with the code of conduct of Parliament, and the rules and regulations regarding disclosure of interests.

Issued by John Steenhuisen, Chief Whip of the Official Opposition, 10 September 2019