I took SARS to the cleaners, says Malema
Johannesburg – Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema explained that, when he found himself in hot water with the South African Revenue Service (SARS), he was under the impression that the employer was the one responsible for ensuring that he complied.
Malema was responding to a question from a guest attending the Daily Maverick's The Gathering at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday evening. He was asked to apologise to the nation for not paying his taxes.
"SARS' first task is to educate the taxpayer. I come from a very poor family. I never had the type of education qualification that I have now. I had very little knowledge (then) on how taxes are dealt with.
"I actually thought that my employer is responsible for my tax," he said.
When the matter was eventually brought to his attention, he said it was brought with an intention to "attack" him.
"If that is the attitude of SARS, it will collapse. It must not have an attitude of punishing people."
He said SARS’ first intervention should be ensuring compliance: "It must help you to comply and not even a single day did SARS help me to comply."
Malema said no one came to him and told him: "'Julius, you have made a mistake. Let us sit and correct this.’ They have never done that," he said.
Views on white monopoly capital
Malema believes he was attacked because he held a different view on white monopoly capital.
He said he took a dossier to SARS and in it he informed SARS about the existence of a rogue unit.
"It is only after I said to them, there is a rogue unit following us and doing all types of things, did I become an enemy with SARS."
He said SARS went after him for political expediency and for racist reasons.
"They should have helped me to comply and, after failure to comply, then they must punish me. That is how you build a country. You don't just attack and then hope for co-operation."
'I am no coward'
Malema added: "Once you attack me, I am going to react. I am no coward and I took SARS to the cleaners."
"They gave me the first assessment. I queried it and then they attached my properties with the hope that they will destroy me. Little did they know that I was not a product of material (things). I come from a very poor background and I have survived difficult conditions for me to be where I am today."
He said SARS settled because he fought with them.
The matter was eventually struck from the roll and settled, but SARS continued to chase him, he said.
'They pursued me. I pursued them back'
"They pursued me. I pursued them back. Then we went to the settlement court and the court gave me a settlement and they wanted almost R18m from me and we settled with R1.8m because I told them that I had nothing except the salary from Parliament."
He claims SARS wanted to sequestrate him because they wanted him out of Parliament.
"These are the shenanigans. They wanted to sequestrate me because they wanted to take me out of Parliament for the simple reason that they did not agree with me."
"So why should I apologise for people who are pursuing me for political reasons?"
He said he would not apologies for the political onslaught. News24
Malema: ANC's elective conference will be for the party's tombstone unveiling
Johannesburg – When the ANC goes to its elective conference in December, it will be the unveiling of its tombstone because the party died a long time ago, EFF leader Julius Malema said on Thursday.
"That thing is not a funeral of the ANC, it is the unveiling of the ANC['s tombstone] because it died a long time ago," said Malema.
Malema was speaking at the Sandton Convention Centre at the Daily Maverick's The Gathering, where the upcoming ANC elective conference was discussed.
"The conference will not be a watershed moment because this is the continuation of the rot that began in Polokwane. I don't know what the excitement is about… The watershed moment for the country is 2019, when the country has an opportunity to choose different leadership."
In 2016, people were confronted with choosing between the two devils - the DA and the ANC, he said. That year the DA won some municipalities because people decided to stay away.
"Why is the voter so loyal to the ANC? What is it that the voter sees in ANC that we do not see?" he questioned.
He urged South Africans to continue to respect the power of the voters.
Malema also said the party made a mistake by not listening to the electorate on who it wanted to lead when it went into a coalition government.
"We think that in 2019, if there is no outright winner, the voters should vote until they decide who their government should be and should not leave it to the few elite to decide for them."
With the ANC on its way out, Malema said it did not matter what happen come December.
"The many political developments in 2017 show that our country is on the verge of turning into a failed state."
He referred to the higher education fees saga, saying that the government was failing dismally at introducing fee-free education.
The Fees Commission's recommendation for an income-contingency loan funding model was a bad idea, he said, adding that those taking care of the poor should be exempt from paying back loans.
"Why don't we create our own banks and give the students interest-free loans?"
Malema also said he did not understand why Eskom continued to honour apartheid contracts.
"We are complaining about the Guptas. The Guptas are just an irritation," he added.
He believed the country should remain focused on fighting for economic freedom.
Malema also touched on the recent military takeover in Zimbabwe, saying that Robert Mugabe had stayed on as president for too long.
"I love Bob, but if I love you, it does not mean that I cannot criticise you. Our love for uncle Bob, did not diminish… All we said to uncle Bob was that a good dancer knows when to leave the dance floor. It does not matter if they can dance."
He said there was no need for a similar situation in South Africa because an election was held every five years.
