This will be AfriForum’s second official pursuit of a prosecution against a well-known figure in politics. Last October, the civil rights group began their case against Duduzane Zuma, the son of Jacob and business ally of the Guptas.
Gerrie Nel, AfriForum to go after Malema
On Wednesday, Nel revealed he was targeting “a well-known party political leader”. But no information on charges, the nature of the prosecution or even the name of the culprit have were shared at the time, leaving South Africa on a cliffhanger.
Now, we have our answer. Julius Malema will have to answer to The Pitbull.
Why is AfriForum prosecuting Julius Malema?
They are going after Malema for his role with the “On-Point” engineering contract, which was brokered in 2012. It’s alleged by AfriForum that he benefitted from this deal in an illegal manner.The tender – worth R52 million – was previously under investigation. However, the case has somewhat fallen away in recent years.
Gerrie Nel claims that the On-Point case was struck off the roll in 2015 because “one of the accused was ill”. However, the advocate says that person is no longer ill, so criminal proceedings can get underway.
What charges is Julius Malema facing?
- 1 counts of racketeering
- 5 of corruption
- 4 of fraud
- 14 relating to a “contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act
What is the On-Point engineering contract?
The engineering company were reportedly blacklisted by the Treasury in 2013 (Sunday Times). They came under intense scrutiny for a contract allowing On-Point to oversee major road developments in Limpopo.In October 2012, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela concluded that the department failed to follow the proper guidelines in awarding this tender, meaning that On-Point and Malema – whose Ratanang Family Trust allegedly received some of the R52 million payment – benefitted illegally from it.
