Julius Malema's sentencing tests EFF's future beyond its founder
via The Citizen3 min read
Julius Malema, leader of the EFF, is awaiting sentencing today in the KuGompo City Magistrate's Court in the Eastern Cape for discharging a firearm at a 2018 rally. If sentenced to over 12 months without a fine, Malema would be disqualified from parliament and barred from public office for five years. The state is seeking a 15-year direct imprisonment sentence, which Malema plans to contest. This ruling is seen as crucial for the EFF, a party largely built on Malema's charisma, as it highlights a potential leadership vacuum and the absence of a clear succession plan. The article contrasts the EFF's situation with the ANC, which also faces succession challenges with an aging leadership, and the DA, which has demonstrated a capacity for leadership renewal. The situation underscores the importance of parties being larger than their individual leaders and having robust succession strategies for political stability in South Africa.
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The South African police ministry has spent only R15.001 million of the R1 billion allocated to combat organized crime, with R984.999 million remaining unspent as of June 26. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana confirmed in February that R1 billion would be made available annually to both the police and army until March 2027. The funds, sourced from the Criminal Assets Recovery Account, were intended for operational deployments, organized crime interventions, equipment, technology, and national stabilization efforts, focusing on illicit trade, economic crimes, and violent organized crime. While the ministry aims to disable and dismantle criminal groupings, a separate parliamentary response indicated that no gangs were fully dismantled during Operation Prosper. In Gauteng, opposition members, including DA member of the provincial legislature Michael Sun, expressed concern over the lack of funding for gang investigations, noting that only R3.8 million was budgeted for visible policing in the province despite 979 gang-related crimes, including 258 murders, reported over the last four financial years. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi highlighted that gang activity is rooted in socio-economic factors like poverty and family dysfunction, with 12 schools linked to gang recruitment in areas such as Westbury and Eldorado Park.
Concerns have been raised regarding the National Student Financial Aid Scheme's Nsfas accommodation payment system, as an EFF Member of Parliament claims intermediary companies are still processing billions of rand despite previous assurances that the function would be brought in-house. EFF MP Sihle Lonzi has written to Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela, requesting details about four companies allegedly performing accommodation-related functions for Nsfas. Lonzi's letter follows an oversight visit where officials indicated these 'solution partner' companies remain involved in the payment process. He highlighted that Nsfas previously confirmed approximately R2.9 billion in accommodation payments were processed through the middleman system in 2024, incurring about R145 million in intermediary fees. Lonzi estimates the annual cost of this middleman scheme to exceed R220 million if fees continue at this rate, questioning why public funds are still channeled through intermediaries when students face funding and accommodation challenges. He requested the names of the companies, contract details, Financial Services Provider licenses, legal frameworks, current functions, and payments received. The Ministry of Higher Education and Training urged that public debate be based on verified facts and the applicable legal framework, emphasizing the institution's complex governance history. The Ministry defended the current administration's technical support model, stating it involves f
The Democratic Alliance DA has filed an urgent application in the High Court in Pretoria to set aside the Tshwane special council meeting that resulted in the suspension of city manager Johann Mettler. The DA alleges that votes were manipulated during the meeting. DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink stated that 95 councillors voted against the suspension and 92 voted in favor, but council speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana deducted 13 votes. Brink claimed the meeting was called at short notice, lacked an agenda, and the speaker did not conduct a roll call before deducting votes. He further alleged that the speaker deducted 13 votes instead of nine, calling the meeting mismanaged and the votes tampered with. The DA is seeking either to set aside the meeting or to order a new one, instructing the speaker not to "rig the votes." Brink suggested Mettler is being targeted for opposing irregular expenditure and rigged tenders, citing a 50-year lease on the Tshwane showgrounds that Mettler referred back to committee. ActionSA national chair Michael Beaumont, however, countered Brink's claims, stating that the DA was 20 votes short of its full complement of councillors and had submitted 13 leaves of absence, making councillors unavailable. Beaumont argued that if DA councillors had not taken leave, Mettler would still be city manager. Republican Conference of Tshwane councillor Lex Middelberg noted that serious allegations he submitted against Gareth Mnisi were dismissed, while Mettler