Pretoria – Ongoing legal woes and “political persecution” will not derail EFF leader Julius Malema’s ambition of becoming the next president, party officials said on Thursday.

The party would roll-out “intervention programmes” to prevent Malema’s sequestration, Economic Freedom Fighters spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said in Pretoria.

“Whoever thought that they are going to prevent Julius Malema from being president of South Africa are basically day-dreaming. We are not in a crisis,” said Shivambu.

“The EFF is going to be the government of South Africa and the sooner people get used to that, the better. We are speaking here as a government-in-waiting so get used to us because you will be seeing us frequently, as a government.”
The party and its members were undivided in supporting Malema in his court battles to avoid sequestration.

“That provisional sequestration will never be final. The legal processes we are engaged in are going to be successful. If they are not, that money is going to be paid even if it was R20m or R50m,” he said.

Malema was provisionally sequestrated by the North Gauteng High Court on Monday. The application was brought by the SA Revenue Service.

Malema owes the taxman more than R16m after failing to submit tax returns between 2006 and 2010.

A draft order was signed and made an order of the court. Malema and anyone else who does not want the order to be made final has until 10:00 on 26 May to give reasons as to why this should not happen.

Shivambu said the party could simply raise R16m by getting R32 from each of the almost 500 000 members it claimed it had.

The party’s justice portfolio head Dali Mpofu said “a full-frontal attack” would be launched against all provisions which banned Malema from assuming public office owing to his beleaguered financial status.

“From our ideological perspective, this is just palpable nonsense. It is going to be a huge fight and I am more than optimistic that it is going to be successful,” Mpofu said.

“The fight is in the high court now. It might go to the Supreme Court of Appeal, and it would go to the Constitutional Court. Through all those stages we will be mounting the biggest political fight to protect the poor from being disenfranchised.”
Mpofu said “misleading claims” were being spread by the SA Revenue Service and the media insinuating that Malema would not be able to assume public office after the May general elections.

“The Constitution says every adult citizen has the right to stand for public office and if elected, to hold office. It doesn’t say every solvent citizen or every white or black citizen,” Mpofu said.

“We will not allow a situation where any citizen is disenfranchised because they are poor. They don’t call us fighters for nothing.”

– SAPA

Pretoria – Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema on Saturday, told residents of Stofel Park in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria, that they were to blame for the lack of services in the area.

“These roads are like this because you’re to blame,” he said.

“You have been voting for the same people.”

Malema was addressing hundreds of supporters who had gathered for the launch of the party’s elections truck.

He told residents that the power was in their hands to bring change and improve their lives.

There was no water, electricity, toilets or decent roads in the area.

Malema said the fact that government had no money should not be used as an excuse to not deliver services.

“Government might not have money but they [can] caterpillar trucks to flatten roads to make them usable.”
He urged residents to change their votes and go with a party that would deliver.

“The reason you’re here is because you keep on voting for the same people.

“Change is you – change your vote,” he said.

Malema addressed residents as part of his election campaign.

The national general elections would be held on 7 May.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Oscar Pistorius told his Twitter followers the three sentences he penned for his dead girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, were expressed from “my heart”. But to PR guru Marcus Brewster, the brief tribute was contrived and insincere.

“Oscar’s statement is overly polished, and so refined as to undercut the sincerity of it. If it was sincere, my question is why was the comment not made on another day? He would tell us how he really misses her (Steenkamp) every day that he wakes up. But every other day he has been silent.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

Johannesburg – A woman who was misdiagnosed with breast cancer and given a double mastectomy has won a R2.8 million damages case.

But Estelle Kunneke’s nine-year battle to get the Limpopo Department of Health to compensate her for the trauma she endured will not bring back her body or her self-esteem.
For more http://www.iol.co.za

North West -Properties belonging to Madibeng Municipality officials found to have been involved in corruption, will be forfeited to the State as the proceeds of crime.

Every cent they earned with underhand tactics will be recouped and guilty parties arrested.

North West Premier Thandi Modise has given her sternest warning yet that heads will roll as the implementation of a minister’s report on maladministration, fraud and corruption gains momentum.
For more http://www.iol.co.za