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He believed the charges were trumped up to serve political purposes.
“There is nothing substantive about these charges, these charges are brought to fight political battles in the ANC,” he said.
Malema’s allies were not shaken by the move, because they knew there was “an orchestrated campaign to silence him”, Magaqa said.
The timing of the warrant — two weeks before nominations are opened ahead of the ANC elective conference in Mangaung and shortly after the Marikana shooting — raised suspicions about the intentions behind it.
He said the youth would rally in support of Malema. “Young people will react, young people will defend the leader that represented their interests.”
Magaqa said that the battle for economic liberation would not be stopped by the arrest warrant.
“We are focusing our programme. We will be in each and every mine, each and every society agitating people to liberate themselves so that at the end of the day their children will be economically liberated.”
Malema is expected to appear in a Polokwane court this week.
ENCA said in an unsourced report that Malema would hand himself over to authorities tomorrow.
On Tuesday, Malema said in Johannesburg if he was arrested, it would be done illegally.
He said he was willing and ready to go to jail, and was not intimidated.
Meanwhile, Malema made his millions from a fraudulent and possibly corrupt tender, says Public Protector Thuli Madonsela in a City Press exclusive.
Although Madonsela couldn’t find any evidence that Malema interfered in the tendering process, she found that his trust benefited “improperly” from the contract and that legal action should be taken to recover the money he received.
Her investigation also found that On-Point acted corruptly by signing back-to-back agreements with subcontractors.
“Due to the fact that the awarding of the contract to On-Point was based on deliberate misrepresentations and non-compliance with procurement prescripts, its shareholders, including the Ratanang Family Trust . . . benefited improperly by means of the payment of ‘dividends’ and other payments made to it by On-Point,” the report reads.
Madonsela recommends that the tender be immediately cancelled; that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Asset Forfeiture Unit urgently consider criminal action; and that the Master of the High Court investigate the flow of money into Malema’s trust. Apart from Madonsela’s report and the criminal charges, Malema has a third battle to fight: a tax judgment of R16m obtained against him by the SA Revenue Service (Sars) last week.
Yesterday — four days before his arrest warrant was issued — Malema’s lawyer, Nicqui Galaktiou, warned the NPA and the Hawks in a letter not to be influenced politically when considering Malema’s matter.
“It has come to Mr Malema’s knowledge that there is a political plan to have him arrested and incarcerated within days . . .
“Mr Malema is deeply concerned as to this information and, if true, provides stark evidence that there is a political agenda to have Mr Malema arrested and brought before a court on charges which are unsustainable,” she wrote. — Sapa
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