Gordhan presses charges against Malema, Shivambu as row rages
Public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan laid three charges against EFF leader Julius Malema and deputy president Floyd Shivambu on Monday, after a week of attacks on him by the opposition party's leadership.
Gordhan filed complaints of criminal defamation, incitement to commit violence and crimen injuria.
The EFF said it will open a case of corruption against Gordhan at the same police station on Tuesday.
Last week, Malema described the fight against Gordhan as a “war” in which lives could potentially be lost.
Gordhan, speaking outside the Brooklyn police station on Monday, said the remarks were worrying in that they promoted hatred and raised questions about whether those at the receiving end of the attacks faced physical harm or even “elimination”.
Gordhan is also approaching the equality court over the “hurtful” statements, intended to incite hatred against him by the EFF. He is seeking damages of R150,000, which will be donated to a job creation project for the youth, if successful.
The move comes a day after President Cyril Ramaphosa called on South Africans to protect Gordhan and all others who were attempting to root out corruption.
Eyewitness News quoted Ramaphosa saying that Gordhan had been condemned by people who were deeply involved in what was going wrong in the country. He was speaking at an South African Jewish Board of Deputies conference on Sunday night.
Last week, the EFF protested outside the commission of inquiry into state capture as Gordhan gave evidence on his second stint as finance minister, and his knowledge of state capture.
Malema, as well as Shivambu, described Gordhan as corrupt, accused his daughter of receiving state tenders and called him a “dog” that the party would “beat” until his “masters” emerged.
Gordhan said the efforts to disrupt the commission and the statements made outside the hearings were at the heart of his complaint against Malema.
He said people had a right to differ politically, but this should not extend to the personal realm and to harming the dignity of others and attacking their families.
“Politically we can differ … but you can't go around condemning the Zondo commission … you can’t call an evidence leader by the name ‘B’, you can’t call us dogs and at the same time you can’t spread wrong rumours about families, when they are absolute lies as well.
“We felt there is a case for crimen injuria – you harm my dignity, you harm my person … this attack has to be stopped. We invite all South Africans to join us,” Gordhan said.
He said the EFF’s propagating of hate in society had to be stopped.
“The damage that this activity causes is huge, you will only feel it years from now because it weakens our economy.
“It, in fact, harms the progress of black people in professional positions and elsewhere in society, and there are a number of people who are being misled.”
The EFF said in a statement that it will lay complaints of “money laundering, corruption, racketeering, fraud, contravention of the Intelligence Act and Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, and perjury”.
It did not detail the specific allegations it would bring.
Gordhan has been investigated by the Hawks over the alleged “rogue unit” at the SA Revenue Service (Sars), a narrative now largely discredited. He was charged with fraud over the pension payout of former Sars deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay but the case was dropped by former National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) boss Shaun Abrahams.
It is unclear whether the EFF will again resuscitate the allegations around the unit and the pension payout.
The damage it causes is very huge, you will only feel it years from now