Malema money mystery deepens
2010-02-22 22:51
Johannesburg - The mystery surrounding ANCYL leader Julius Malema's connection with companies which apparently got lucrative government contracts has deepened.
While Malema on Monday morning insisted that he'd resigned as director of SGL Engineering Projects, a search of the SA Company database, published by Butterworths, showed him as an "active" director.
The company is listed as "In Business".
Malema was briefing reporters in Johannesburg after questions were raised about his lifestyle in media reports last week and over the weekend.
The Sunday Times reported that the ANCYL leader had benefited by millions of rand from tenders awarded to SGL.
Malema said he had resigned from SGL in 2008.
"Since my election as president of the ANC Youth League in 2008, I instructed my lawyers to process my resignations from all these corporations and companies... when I was based in Limpopo province," he said.
He had done so to enable him to focus his attentions on the ANC Youth League, Malema added.
Malema could not provide any written proof of his resignations from the various companies saying all communication with his lawyer had been done telephonically.
"They re-assured me that they had removed me."
His lawyer, Tumi Mokwena, said he had received the instruction from Malema to terminate the directorships.
"This happened somewhere in 2008. He said he did not want to have an interest in any company any longer."
Mokwena said Malema gave his lawyers special power of attorney to handle the matter.
Other companies
Weekend reports stated that SGL Engineering Projects had won contracts of over R140m from local governments in Limpopo, where the company was based.
The SA Company database had Malema on Monday listed as not only being a director SGL but also of three other companies, all of them closed corporations.
He was the sole member of 101 Junjus Trading, appointed on January 23 2007.
The second company he was involved in as director was Blue Nightingale Trading 61. The list showed him as being appointed director January 19 2006. Both these companies were still in business.
Malema was also listed as co-director of Ever Roaring Investments with Mathias Mathews Mathabatha, Mmalehu Onicca Kwakwa, Nomvula Pamela Mhlari and Treasure Poseletso Kekana.
Malema was appointed director on September 8 2006, and was still listed as "active".
Database updated in February 2010
The database showed him resigning from only one company - Nkgape Mining Investments - as director. This was on April 12 2006.
Butterworths' website describes the SA Company Search database as the entire database of companies and close corporations as supplied by the Company and Intellectual Property Registration Office, a division within the department of trade and industry.
The database is updated monthly. According to the website, it was last updated in February 2010.
The fact that Malema was still listed as a director of SGL would be investigated, Mokwena said.
Malema could not be reached for comment on Monday afternoon.
ANCYL spokesperson Floyd Shivambu said: "He (Malema) gave the orders to the lawyers, whether the database was updated is not our problem."
He said he took exception to the fact that a journalist who did not attend the morning briefing contacted him about the issue.
"You are out of order. **** you," Shivambu said before putting down the phone.
Claims of racism
Malema rounded on the media during the briefing, accusing it of accepting "brown envelopes", sleeping with people and drinking with politicians to get information.
"We know who receives brown envelopes where, who sleeps with who where, who drinks with who until seven in the morning revealing everything," he said.
He declined to reveal his salary citing a confidential contractual agreement with the ANC, but he was prepared to say it was "way above R20 000".
He said the only car registered in his name was a C63 AMG Mercedes-Benz (which costs R814 000) and his homes in Sandton and Polokwane, were funded through bonds. According to estimates, this could mean monthly payments of more than R60 000.
"This car I own is nothing compared to the cars of white kids, sports cars they play with in Sandton every Sunday. If you want to see people who are playing with money, go to Sandton.
"There's no corruption because they are white, if they are to be driven by any African child all of them will be investigated, all of them would be front pages.
"You don't want a black diamond to shine... you'll never succeed with us."
- News24
. In any other country Malema wouldn't have even qualified for a janitor, in Africa he is a millionaire :wtf:
