Malema to sue Rawula, offers journalists access to EFF's financial records
10 April 2019
EFF leader Julius Malema has given permission for journalists to scrutinise party financial records.
This offer comes after former senior member Thembinkosi Rawula accused him and EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu of financial mismanagement and accepting a donation from VBS Mutual Bank.
"We can give you access to look at them... We will work on the schedule of the treasury general to sit with you and ask her."
The EFF leader held a press briefing at party headquarters, where he denied allegations by Rawula.
Malema said he was suing Rawula for R1m over his claims. He wrote to Rawula through his lawyers, demanding that he retract his statement publicly.
Rawula refused.
"Its not an EFF initiative. It's between me and him and I am taking him to the cleaners. He asked me for financial statements, effectively asking me to prove his case on his behalf. He should be saying to me, here is the statement, here is the receipt to prove you are engaged in shenanigans," Malema said.
Rawula, who was the head of the party's disciplinary commission until recently, claims Malema admitted during a central command team meeting that the party had accepted a donation from VBS bank.
Malema has denied this, saying he only made a political overview, stating that "VBS was supposed to be the end of EFF [in] the way it was designed".
'I'm taking him to the cleaners'
"If the court says to me, produce the bank statements to prove that you are not taking EFF money, I will do that. I'm prepared to be under the lifestyle audit of a credible institution to demonstrate that I stole no money of the EFF, nothing. I'm not scared, I'm taking him to the cleaners and we have already finalised the summons against him," he said.
EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu is also intending to sue Rawula, he told journalists.
Defending Shivambu, Malema explained how he was most disturbed by allegations made against his deputy.
"The story that says the deputy president is abusing money of EFF is unfair. You can put it on me, I will take it because I'm a signatory. You have a right to suspect me.
"That is the only thing that disturbed me. There is an effort to destroy this guy with lies and all types. If you want finances of the EFF, come to me. I will take full responsibility, because I am signatory."
Only three senior leaders - Malema, Godrich Gardee and Leigh-Ann Mathys - were signatories responsible for party finances, he said.
