TARGET: JUJU

The EFF yesterday said it believed the Guptas, the department of home affairs and state security officials spied on its leader, Julius Malema, and fear it was done to plan an attempt on his life.

‘Impossible’ for Guptas to attain this information without help of State Security.

The state and the Gupta family have been spying on Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema, the party charged yesterday.

The Guptas, home affairs and state security officials are involved, according to the EFF, which believes the surveillance is being carried out to plan an attempt on his life.

The party confirmed media reports yesterday that the Gupta e-mails showed the family was monitoring the travel movements of prominent bankers and a “party leader and member of the South African parliament”.

The EFF said: “Most of the trips the media has written about were never publicly announced. We also know that it is impossible for the Guptas, on their own, to attain this information without the help of both home affairs and state security.

“Thus, beyond the Guptas, it is the state that is actually spying on the commander-in-chief. We know they also illegally monitor his calls and have been doing so for some time.”

The EFF would approach the inspector-general of intelligence, Isaac Dintwe, to investigate, saying it did not take kindly to threats on its leaders’ lives.

The party’s secretary-general, Godrich Gardee, said yesterday it would approach Dintwe “very soon” and that EFF chief whip Floyd Shivambu would raise the issue in parliament.

“We do have an EFF public representative in the portfolio committee on intelligence and I am certain there is a way in which our whip is going to deal with it, together with our representatives in that portfolio committee.”

E-mails obtained by amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism and Scorpio reportedly revealed that the Gupta family had spied on several prominent South Africans, including former finance minister Trevor Manuel, his wife, Absa CEO Maria Ramos, as well as Malema.

The EFF reacted promptly, saying it would prepare itself because it was clear that confrontation was inevitable. “If the authorities will not act, they leave us with no option but to defend ourselves with whatever revolutionary means possible,” the party said.

Gardee would not comment on whether security measures for Malema would be tightened. But in a statement, the EFF said it was concerned about his safety. It also made further allegations against the family, including that the Guptas had spying equipment from Russia brought into the country illegally.

“Not so long ago, we had to track a car that was following him [Malema] around,” the EFF said.

Late last month, Malema said he warned SA Communist Party senior leader Solly Mapaila that his (Mapaila’s) life was in danger. Just days after that, a group of Umkhonto we Sizwe veterans protested outside the SACP man’s house.