By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
EFF leader Julius Malema on Thursday accused the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of being too close to the ANC, raising doubts about its ability to conduct free and fair municipal elections in October.
Malema, speaking at a press conference in Johannesburg, laid into the IEC, saying its officials thought they were “untouchable”.
The EFF leader also accused the commission’s chief electoral officer (CEO) Sy Mamabolo of being controlled by the ANC from Luthuli House.
“For some reason, the IEC thinks it is untouchable and a law unto itself, That it doesn’t listen to anyone except the ANC and [treasurer-general] Paul Mashatile, in particular because of his relationship with the CEO of the IEC. And that they can always manipulate and run the CEO of the IEC from Luthuli House,” Malema said.
This follows the official launch of the 2021 municipal elections on Wednesday in Johannesburg.
The EFF has called for the polls to be postponed due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic and various restrictions on campaigning. The ANC on the other hand said it was ready for the elections on 27 October.
Malema accused IEC chairperson Glen Mashinini of being compromised and said he was aligned with ANC politicians.
“The attitude of the IEC, you can see that it’s an attitude of a person who has got political protection.”
Malema said the IEC was engaged in wasteful expenditure for appointing former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke to lead a review process to determine whether it would be possible to hold free and fair elections.
“They are engaged in wasteful expenditure and we hope the Auditor-General will arrive at a similar conclusion.
“We are going to write to the Auditor-General to scrutinise this transaction as to was it necessary and you are running two parallel things.
Malema said Moseneke was a man of integrity but what the IEC was doing to him will “destroy him”.
He said the commission should have waited for him to complete the review process before launching the elections.
Malema also said the acknowledgment of debt signed by Brian Shivambu to pay back R4.5 million to VBS Mutual Bank was a compromise and not an admission of guilt.
This follows a Daily Maverick report this week that Shivambu – the brother of EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu – signed a secret contract admitting to having received R4.55 million from VBS.
According to the report, the contract was signed on 23 March 2020 and was effectively an admission by Brian Shivambu that he was paid by VBS for no apparent reason.
His lawyers apparently insisted on a secrecy clause as part of the agreement.
According to the publication, the EFF received more than R1.8 million from VBS, with the funds flowing from two sources acting as fronts.
In addition to this, Malema allegedly received R430,000 in three installments, which he is believed to have spent on a luxury Sandown property where he lived from 2012, but which has reportedly been transferred to the EFF.
Meanwhile Malema has given Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga seven days to shut down schools over fears of rising COVID-19 cases amongst learners or it will take matters into its own hands.
Motshekga – who was present during the announcement in February – had contracted COVID-19 at the beginning of the year.
The EFF leader also alluded to the minister being down with cancer, but she is on the job and is expected to visit and inspect schools in Limpopo on Friday.