POLITICS

Nothing new in Gordhan's R500bn State Capture costing claim - EFF

Fighters say Julius Malema raised this figure as far back as February 2016

EFF STATEMENT ON PRAVIN MOB AND R500 BILLION MISLEADING NARRATIVE

9 November 2018

The EFF is not surprised by the desperate attempt to create an impression that Pravin Gordhan has revealed something new in his affidavit to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry on State Capture. If anything, the affidavit exposes Pravin Gordhan as a manipulative person and the affidavit was a pathetic attempt to cover up his lies.

The narrative, "THE GORDHAN FILES: R500-billion and counting! Minister's bombshell affidavit puts the first costing on State Capture", is meant to give an impression that Gordhan has exposed the deep root of state capture, as a hero, and a face of the fight against state capture. However, the reality is that he was an enabler, and at the forefront of state capture, meeting members of the Gupta family and misleading Parliament under oath.

The EFF President and Commander-in-Chief (CIC), was one of the first people to raise the R500 billion figure as the cost of the firing of Nhlanhla Nene to the economy. On Tuesday, 16 February 2016, the CIC said, "this is the man (Jacob Zuma) who, in December, exchanged Ministers of Finance in South Africa, gave misleading and wrong reasons, and accelerated our country's currency into junk status. This led to the loss of more than R500 billion". Those in the media who were concerned with ethical journalism reported that, the "EFF was thus accurate in quoting this figure in Parliament'. The mob is so desperate in its attempts to decorate Pravin Gordan as a champion of anti-corruption, whilst he is part of the problem.

The EFF has warned South Africa about people masquerading as joumalists, when they are an organised and paid mob, to protect the Pravin cabal that runs a parallel state in South Africa, hiding behind media. We will call it out for what it is, without fear, regardless of the orchestrated attack in the image of the EFF and its leadership.

Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, 9 November 2018