Julius Malema opens cans of worms over Ramaphosa’s ‘dodgy donors’

EFF leader Julius Malema has renewed hostilities with Cyril Ramaphosa, attacking South Africa’s head of state over the ‘sealed documents’ linked to his CR17 campaign. The paperwork, which is protected from public release thanks to a court order, is thought to contain information about high-profile figures who have made big donations to the president.

Cyril Ramaphosa and the CR17 statements

Malema has often used this issue as a stick to beat his adversary with. CR17 was the name given to Ramaphosa’s bid to replace Jacob Zuma as the leader of the ANC, as he squared-off with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Having narrowly defeated NDZ, attention soon turned to his financial backers.

The heat was turned up on the president in 2018, when details of his son’s relationship with Bosasa were made public. The company’s subsequent exposure at the State Capture Inquiry saw a tumultuous legal row lead the warring factions to court, but Ramaphosa was ultimately successful in concealing donor information.

Julius Malema slams president for ‘dodgy donors’

This has never sat well with Julius Malema, and he was on hand to raise the issue again on Monday. During a media briefing, Juju accused Ramaphosa of looking after certain business owners who heavily funded CR17:

“We reiterate our call for the unsealing of the CR17 Documents. The continued secrecy practiced by Cyril Ramaphosa is concerning because it is likely that the donors found within the documents are beneficiaries of tenders, appointments within the state and are in control of the policy perspectives of South Africa.”

The most recent example of the dodgy relationships by the President is the Mooikloof development which was endorsed by the President although it was not BEE compliant – and there are concerns as to how the development was approved… Also, Ramaphosa’s recovery plan is shallow and will not alter the structural deficiencies and racial inequalities in SA.”

Julius Malema

#EFFPresser Malema: Ramaphosa’s economic recovery plan deliberately omits the land question, particularly expropriation of land without compensation. It further ignores the necessary focus on ownership and control of strategic sectors of the economy.

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) October 26, 2020