Death threats for Juju
NATIONAL police commissioner General Khehla Sitole has ordered a probe into allegations of an assassination plot against EFF leader Julius Malema.
This comes after the party claimed an ANC-linked group approached alleged drug dealers and assassins in different provinces, particularly in the Western Cape to kill Malema.
On Tuesday, the EFF said it received the claims – which first surfaced on social media from reliable sources – and they were taking them seriously.
Yesterday, Sitole’s spokesperson, Brigadier Vish Naidoo, confirmed to Independent Media that a probe on the veracity of the information was already under way, after Malema informed Police Minister Bheki Cele about them.
“We did receive those reports through the minister and he informed the national commissioner.
“The national commissioner has directed that a thorough assessment be conducted.
“Our crime intelligence environment is currently busy conducting an assessment of those allegations,” Naidoo said.
Naidoo said he could not go into detail about the probe by the police intelligence services.
Acting EFF spokesperson Tebogo Mokwele said threats were real and dangerous, as they were allegedly orchestrated by a grouping from the North West, which she said was notorious for unresolved political killings.
“The covert plans come from reliable sources who indicate that a small group of politically insecure and insane individuals from the North West province have approached drug dealers and assassins in different provinces, particularly in the Western Cape, to assassinate the EFF leader.
“The threats from this group of politically insecure and insane individuals are informed by the fact that the EFF is on the verge of politically defeating the ANC in the North West province, and other provinces, in the upcoming general elections,” Mokwele said.
She said the EFF had also beefed up its internal security as it suspected the allegations to be a resort to thoughts of violence by those within the ANC, who had no convincing alternate political programme against that of the EFF.
“Politics should always be about presenting superior logic, solutions and alternatives and not on who has resources to hire assassins to suppress alternative views and organisations,” Mokwele said.
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe had not responded to questions by the time of going to press.